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Which Australian English words were borrowed from Aboriginal languages?
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Australian Aboriginal languages
A discussion of the languages of Indigenous Australians.
Australian English has incorporated numerous terms from Aboriginal languages to describe the unique flora, fauna, and cultural practices encountered by early settlers.
Commonly used words borrowed from these languages include:
- Billabong: A watercourse or pool that forms from a blind channel, derived from the Wiradhuri word billabaŋ.12
- Boomerang: The iconic curved throwing stick.2
- Coolibah: A type of gum tree, borrowed from a Gamilaraay dialect.1
- Corroboree: Originally a warlike dance, now referring to any large or noisy gathering.2
- Dingo: A reddish-brown wild canine.2
- Galah: A species of cockatoo.2
- Gunyah: A type of bush hut.2
- Kangaroo: The well-known marsupial.2
- Karri: A dark red eucalyptus tree.2
- Kookaburra: The bird formerly known as the laughing jackass.2
- Nonda: A tree that yields edible fruit.2
- Wallaby: A small marsupial.2
- Wallaroo: A large rock kangaroo.2
These borrowings reflect the necessity for colonial settlers to identify and name aspects of the Australian environment that were previously unknown to them.2