bandicoot
bandicoot Lexical Profile
bandicoot Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Australian Any of various small to medium-sized, mainly insectivorous marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea, characterized by a pointed snout, a compact body, and a rear-facing pouch.
"The eastern barred bandicoot forages at night, using its long snout to dig for insects and worms in the Australian soil."
A very large, long-tailed rat native to southern Asia, known for causing significant damage to crops and agricultural land.
"Farmers in rural India often have to protect their grain stores from the destructive tunneling of the bandicoot."
Word Nuance & Usage
Although widely recognized globally as a small Australian marsupial, the term originally refers to a completely distinct large species of rat native to India and Southeast Asia.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed into English in the late 18th century from the Telugu word 'pandi-kokku', literally meaning 'pig-rat'. The name was initially applied to a large Asian rodent before European settlers later applied it to the similarly shaped Australian marsupial.