marsupial

[mahr-soo-pee-uh l]

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noun

any viviparous, nonplacental mammal of the order Marsupialia, comprising the opossums, kangaroos, wombats, and bandicoots, the females of most species having a marsupium containing the mammary glands and serving as a receptacle for the young.

adjective

pertaining to, resembling, or having a marsupium.

of or relating to the marsupials.

Origin of marsupial

First recorded in 1690–1700, marsupial is from the New Latin word marsupiālis pertaining to a pouch. See marsupium, -al¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for marsupial

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

Examples from the Web for marsupial

Historical Examples of marsupial

These countries are, in fact, the head-quarters of the marsupial animals.
Quadrupeds, What They Are and Where Found
Mayne Reid
"Not even the marsupial lion, Bram," grinned Dodd, undismayed.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science February 1930
Various
Mr. Newman suggests that they were "marsupial bats" (Zoologist, p. 129).
Omphalos
Philip Henry Gosse
There are "marsupial" or epipubic bones attached to the pelvis.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia
Frank Evers Beddard
This was the region of gigantic fowls, and of marsupial quadrupeds.
The Romance of Natural History, Second Series
Philip Henry Gosse

British Dictionary definitions for marsupial

marsupial

noun

any mammal of the order Marsupialia, in which the young are born in an immature state and continue development in the marsupium. The order occurs mainly in Australia and South and Central America and includes the opossums, bandicoots, koala, wombats, and kangaroos

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Marsupialia

of or relating to a marsupium

Derived Formsmarsupialian (mɑːˌsjuːpɪˈeɪlɪən, -ˌsuː-) or marsupian, noun, adjective

Word Origin for marsupial

C17: see marsupium

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 marsupial

adj.

1690s, with -al (1) + Modern Latin marsupialis "having a pouch," coined from Late Latin marsupium "pouch, purse" (Classical Latin marsuppium), from Greek marsipion, diminutive of marsipos "bag, pouch," of foreign, possibly oriental, origin. As a noun from 1805.

marsupial in Science

marsupial

[mär-sōō′pē-əl]

Any of various mammals of the order Marsupialia, whose young are very undeveloped when born and continue developing outside their mother's body attached to one of her nipples. Most marsupials have longer hindlegs than forelimbs, and the females usually have pouches in which they carry their young. Kangaroos, opossums, and koalas are marsupials.