condamine
condamine Lexical Profile
• noun
Australian A distinctive type of large, loud cattle bell made from folded sheet metal, historically worn by lead bullocks in Australian transport teams to locate them in the bush.
"The distant clanking of a condamine echoing through the scrub told the driver exactly where his lead bullock had wandered off to graze."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often capitalized as 'Condamine' when referring directly to the river or region, but frequently lowercased when used colloquially as a standalone noun referring to the distinctive cattle bell.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Named after the Condamine River in Queensland, Australia, where these distinctive bells were first crafted for bullock teams in the mid-19th century. The river itself was named in honor of Thomas de la Condamine, a 19th-century British army officer.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.