koala
[koh-ah-luh]
- a sluggish, tailless, gray, furry, arboreal marsupial, Phascolarctos cinereus, of Australia.
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Origin of koala
1800–10; erroneous spelling for earlier koola(h) (now obsolete) < Dharuk gú-la
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for koala
Historical Examples
In the Wombat and Koala the tail is small and without chevron bones.
The Vertebrate SkeletonSidney H. Reynolds
The Phascolarctos, or Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), is closely allied to the wombat.
The Desert WorldArthur Mangin
The Brisbane savant obtained the worm from a koala (Phascolarctos cinereus).
ParasitesT. Spencer Cobbold
"Because they live in the same tree of course," said the Koala.
Dot and the KangarooEthel C. Pedley
The Koala was evidently very pleased with this accomplishment.
Dot and the KangarooEthel C. Pedley
koala
koala bear
- a slow-moving Australian arboreal marsupial, Phascolarctus cinereus, having dense greyish fur and feeding on eucalyptus leaves and barkAlso called (Austral): native bear
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Word Origin
from a native Australian language
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for koala
n.
Australian marsupial, 1808, from the Aboriginal name of the animal, variously given as koola, kulla, kula.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper