bettong

American

[buh-tawng, -tong] / bəˈtɔŋ, -ˈtɒŋ /

noun

any of several marsupials of the genus Bettongia, of Australia and nearby regions, comprising the short-nosed rat-kangaroos, characterized by short, rounded ears, long hind feet, and a naked muzzle tip: all four species are endangered.

bettong British

/ bɛˈtɒŋ /

noun

a species of rat kangaroo of Australia having a short nose

"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

Etymology

Origin of bettong

First recorded in 1830–40, bettong is from the Dharuk word ba-daŋ

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Lead author Mr. Jake Newman-Martin, a PhD student in Curtin's School of Molecular and Life Sciences, explained that the findings provide essential insight into the diversity of woylies, also known as brush-tailed bettong.

From Science Daily • Dec. 13, 2025

“He was one of our most successful bettong killers,” Moseby said.

From New York Times • Apr. 25, 2019

There, it’s the desert bandicoot, the Christmas Island pipistrelle and the Nullarbor dwarf bettong that have disappeared.

From New York Times • Apr. 25, 2019

After those have been erected, locally extinct mammals like the greater bilby, burrowing bettong, Western quoll, and Western barred bandicoot, will be reintroduced.

From National Geographic • Dec. 18, 2017

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023