Where "Wallaroo" Comes From
Photo by DingoMel, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
"Wallaroo" comes from Dharug (walaru), the Aboriginal language of the Sydney (Port Jackson) region. Dharug has separate words for different kangaroo-like animals; check a Dharug dictionary before listing them.
Wallaroos are built noticeably stockier than red or grey kangaroos, with thick fur and a build suited to rocky, rugged terrain.
“We saw a big dark male wallaroo standing proudly atop a granite boulder in the ranges.”
How Aussies Actually Use It
In the inland arid country, the common wallaroo is frequently called the "euro" (another Aboriginal loanword, from a South Australian language; Dictionary.com gives Ngajuri yuru).
The town of Wallaroo on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula has a similar name, but it comes from a different, local Aboriginal word (reportedly wadlu waru), not from the animal.
ð Sources & Further Reading
- Borrowings from Aboriginal Languages â Australian National Dictionary Centre, ANU
- List of English words of Australian Aboriginal origin — Wikipedia
- wallaroo - Dictionary.com
- euro - Dictionary.com
- Wallaroo, South Australia - Wikipedia
- Wallaroo - Wikipedia
Part of our Aboriginal Loanwords collection →
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