dingo
[ding-goh]
- a wolflike, wild dog, Canis familiaris dingo, of Australia, having a reddish- or yellowish-brown coat.
- Australian. a cowardly or treacherous person.
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Origin of dingo
First recorded in 1789, dingo is from the Dharuk word din-gu tame dingo
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for dingo
Contemporary Examples
Dingo attacks are generally the result of how a human acts toward them.
Georgina stepped in between the dingo and her baby sister just before their mother was able to scare the dingo away.
Although it is rare, dingo attacks on humans have been known to occur.
Dingo packs are highly territorial and an intruding dingo will likely be killed.
At the time, the dingo was semi-domesticated and is believed to be the common ancestor of all breeds today.
Historical Examples
So, then he of the tight coat and cocked-hat was a king—King “Dingo Bingo!”
Ran Away to SeaMayne Reid
In that garden I also saw the wild Australian dog—the dingo.
Following the Equator, CompleteMark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
You only shot once at the dingo—there are two chambers empty in this revolver.
Queensland CousinsEleanor Luisa Haverfield
Tall and strong, the boy was as alert and suspicious as a dingo.
Tropic DaysE. J. Banfield
They do not bark, but have the long melancholy howl of the dingo or wild dog of Australia.
dingo
- a wild dog, Canis dingo, of Australia, having a yellowish-brown coat and resembling a wolf
- Australian slang a cheat or coward
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- to act in a cowardly manner
- to drop out of something
- (foll by on) to let (someone) down
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Word Origin
C18: native Australian name
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 dingo
n.
1789, Native Australian name, from Dharruk (language formerly spoken in the area of Sydney) /din-go/ "tame dog," though the English used it to describe wild Australian dogs. Bushmen continue to call the animal by the Dharruk term /warrigal/ "wild dog."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper