bandicoot

[ban-di-koot]

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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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bandicoot

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

Examples from the Web for bandicoot

Historical Examples of bandicoot

The next person they spied was a Bandicoot carrying a watermelon.
The Magic Pudding
Norman Lindsay
They brought back an ample supply, with the addition of a wallaby and a bandicoot.
The Young Berringtons
W.H.G. Kingston
Bandicoot (Perameles), a genus of small Australian marsupials.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 3
Various
There is an expression in Australia, "Blind as a bandicoot."
The Awful Australian
Valerie Desmond
No bandicoot ever went into his hole with the dogs after him quicker than Jim came out of his.
Joe Wilson and His Mates
Henry Lawson

British Dictionary definitions for bandicoot

bandicoot

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

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.