bandicoot

[ ban-di-koot ]

See 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.

Origin of bandicoot

First recorded in 1780–90, bandicoot is from the Telugu word pandi-kokku pig-rat

Words Nearby bandicoot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bandicoot in a sentence

That red-headed bandicoot of a Chub has got into a habit o' playin' football with me an' usin' me fer the ball.
Motor Matt's Daring, or, True to His Friends | Stanley R. Matthews
To all the early settlers in the bush the bandicoot is well known.
The Book of the Bush | George Dunderdale
When assailed it grunts like a pig, hence its Telegu name Pandi-koku, from which the word bandicoot is derived.
Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon | Robert A. Sterndale
I turned toward the hut suspiciously, and saw the bandicoot sitting on a top-rail, watching me, and dangling her feet to and fro.
The Book of the Bush | George Dunderdale
There was a strange man approaching rapidly, and the bandicoot's courage collapsed.
The Book of the Bush | George Dunderdale

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

Origin of 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

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