bandicoot
|ban-di-coot|
/ˈbændɪkuːt/
small nocturnal marsupial (originally 'Indian rat')
Etymology
'bandicoot' originates from 'Telugu', specifically the word 'pandikokku', where 'pandi' meant 'pig' and 'kokku' meant 'rat'.
'bandicoot' was borrowed into English during colonial contact from the Telugu 'pandikokku'; in English it initially referred to large Indian rats (and the rat genus Bandicota), and later European settlers in Australia applied the name to superficially similar small marsupials, which became the common modern sense.
Initially it meant 'large Indian rat', but over time it evolved into its current primary meaning of 'a small nocturnal Australian marsupial' while still preserving the older rodent sense in scientific names.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a small nocturnal marsupial native to Australia and New Guinea, belonging to the order Peramelemorphia.
A bandicoot dug small holes in the garden looking for insects.
Synonyms
Noun 2
historically (and still in zoological names), a large rat of the genus Bandicota found in South and Southeast Asia; the original sense borrowed into English.
Early colonial accounts used the word bandicoot to describe a large rat seen near villages.
Synonyms
Noun 3
a proper name: the title character of the video game series 'Crash Bandicoot'.
Crash Bandicoot became one of the most recognizable video-game characters of the 1990s.
Last updated: 2026/01/10 08:50