marsupial

American  

[mahr-soo-pee-uhl] / mɑrˈsu pi əl /

noun

• marsupials
  plural

1. 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.

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adjective

1. pertaining to, resembling, or having a marsupium.

2. of or relating to the marsupials.

marsupial British  

/ mɑːˈsjuːpɪəl, -ˈsuː-, -ˌsuː- /

noun

1. 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

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Marsupialia

2. of or relating to a marsupium

marsupial Scientific  

/ mär-so̅o̅′pē-əl /

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• marsupialian
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• marsupials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of marsupial

First recorded in 1690–1700, marsupial is from the New Latin word marsupiālis pertaining to a pouch. See marsupium, -al ¹

Compare meaning

How does marsupial compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• marsupial vs. mammal

Explanation

Like primates, marsupials are a type of mammal. One thing all members of this family have in common is a pouch. The most famous marsupial is the kangaroo, but there are many others, such as wallabies, opossums, koalas, and wombats. What makes marsupials different from primates or rodents (who are also mammals) is that the mothers have pouches to hold their young. This is because when marsupial babies are born, they're not quite ready for the world, so the pouch gives them a chance to grow and be safe before having to live on their own. When you think marsupial, think "pouch."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

marsupial marsupials

Bogong moths are thought to help plants spread pollen and are also a key food source for the mountain pygmy possum, a critically endangered cave-dwelling marsupial.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Those skills were critical in helping rescuers to find marsupial survivors of bush fires.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Eluding us is the numbat, a rare Australian marsupial which could be the love-child of a chipmunk and an anteater.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

That possibility challenges the simpler version of marsupial evolution, in which one ancestral group gave rise to the full diversity of Australian marsupials.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

So when a diprotodon, the largest marsupial ever to walk the earth, set eyes for the first time on this frail-looking ape, he probably gave it one glance and then went back to chewing leaves.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Yet despite their success, scientists still do not fully understand how marsupials diversified across Australia.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

Although phylogenetic trees often point to a single early group that later gave rise to modern Australian marsupials, the fossil evidence appears less tidy.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

Fossils dating back about 55 million years suggest that Australian marsupials may have come from a single early lineage that later divided into the marsupial groups alive today.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

The analysis showed that these three species lived alongside several other marsupials that scientists had already studied.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

She turned around to find her crisp-knickered daughter communing with cement marsupials.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy