kookaburra
Americannoun
noun
-
Also called: laughing jackass. a large arboreal Australian kingfisher, Dacelo novaeguineae (or gigas ), with a cackling cry
-
Also called: blue-winged kookaburra. a related smaller bird D. Leachii , of tropical Australia and New Guinea
Etymology
Origin of kookaburra
First recorded in 1885–90, kookaburra is from the Wiradjuri word gugubarra (imitative)
Vocabulary lists containing kookaburra
Australia and New Zealand - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Australia and New Zealand - Middle School and High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
Australians are well accustomed to swooping birds - there's plovers, noisy miners and even the kookaburra.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2023
In a country featuring some unique native fauna, the animal emblems of New South Wales are the platypus and kookaburra.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2023
You see the kookaburra narrowly sitting on a log on the trailer, but actually that log is a steel frame.
From The Guardian ● May 26, 2020
“The laughing kookaburra is another standard example,” Jody wrote.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 16, 2019
And very well our kookaburra knows the fact.
From Peeps At Many Lands: Australia by Percy F. S. (Percy Frederick Seaton) Spence
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
