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bandicoot

[ ban-di-koot ]
/ ˈbæn dɪˌkut /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bandicoot ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of several large East Indian rats of the genus Nesokia.
any of several insectivorous and herbivorous marsupials of the family Peramelidae, of Australia and New Guinea: some are endangered.

RELATED WORDS

wombat, koala, kangaroo, possum, opossum, wallaby, euro

Nearby words

  1. banderole,
  2. bandersnatch,
  3. bandfile,
  4. bandgap,
  5. bandh,
  6. bandido,
  7. bandinelli,
  8. banding,
  9. bandit,
  10. bandito

Origin of bandicoot

First recorded in 1780–90, bandicoot is from the Telugu word pandi-kokku pig-rat
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bandicoot

British Dictionary definitions for bandicoot

bandicoot

/ (ˈbændɪˌkuːt) /

noun

any agile terrestrial marsupial of the family Peramelidae of Australia and New Guinea. They have a long pointed muzzle and a long tail and feed mainly on small invertebrates
bandicoot rat or mole rat any of three burrowing rats of the genera Bandicota and Nesokia, of S and SE Asia: family Muridae

Word Origin for bandicoot

C18: from Telugu pandikokku, from pandi pig + kokku bandicoot
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for bandicoot

bandicoot

n.

1789, from Telugu pandi-kokku, literally "pig-rat." Properly a large and destructive Indian rat; applied from 1827 to a type of insectivorous Australian marsupial somewhat resembling it.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper