koala

[koh-ah-luh]

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noun

a sluggish, tailless, gray, furry, arboreal marsupial, Phascolarctos cinereus, of Australia.

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. 2019

Related Words for koala

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

Examples from the Web for koala

Historical Examples of koala

In the Wombat and Koala the tail is small and without chevron bones.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds
The Phascolarctos, or Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), is closely allied to the wombat.
The Desert World
Arthur Mangin
The Brisbane savant obtained the worm from a koala (Phascolarctos cinereus).
Parasites
T. Spencer Cobbold
She forgot all about the Koala, and rushed forward to meet it.
Dot and the Kangaroo
Ethel C. Pedley
The Koala was evidently very pleased with this accomplishment.
Dot and the Kangaroo
Ethel C. Pedley

British Dictionary definitions for koala

koala

koala bear

noun

a slow-moving Australian arboreal marsupial, Phascolarctus cinereus, having dense greyish fur and feeding on eucalyptus leaves and barkAlso called (Austral): native bear

Word Origin for koala

from a native Australian language

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 koala

Australian marsupial, 1808, from the Aboriginal name of the animal, variously given as koola, kulla, kula.