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Which Aboriginal languages contributed the English words billabong and coolibah?
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Australian Aboriginal languages
A discussion of the languages of Indigenous Australians.
The English words billabong and coolibah were borrowed from Australian Aboriginal languages.12
- Billabong: This term, which refers to a backwater or a seasonal watercourse, was borrowed from the Wiradhuri language. The original Wiradhuri word, bilabaŋ, describes a watercourse that only flows following rain.31
- Coolibah: This term, which refers to certain species of Australian gum trees, was borrowed from a dialect of the Gamilaraay language.1