bandicoots
|ban-di-coot|
🇺🇸
/ˈbændɪˌkuːt/
🇬🇧
/ˈbændɪkuːt/
(bandicoot)
small nocturnal marsupial (originally 'Indian rat')
Etymology
'bandicoot' originates from Telugu, specifically the word 'pandikokku' (also spelled 'pandi-kokku'), where 'pandi' meant 'pig' and 'kokku' meant 'rat'.
'bandicoot' changed from the Telugu word 'pandikokku' and was adopted into European colonial usage (through Malay/Portuguese contacts) into English in the late 18th century as a name for large Indian rats; during the 19th century the same name was applied by English speakers to certain Australian marsupials, producing the modern English word 'bandicoot'.
Initially, it meant 'pig-rat' (referring to Indian bandicoot rats), but over time the primary referent in English shifted to the Australian small marsupials now commonly called bandicoots.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural form of 'bandicoot'; small to medium-sized terrestrial marsupials of the family Peramelidae, native to Australia and New Guinea.
Bandicoots are important seed dispersers in some Australian ecosystems.
Synonyms
Noun 2
plural form of 'bandicoot'; any of several large rats of the genus Bandicota (especially Bandicota indica) historically called bandicoots or bandicoot rats, found in South and Southeast Asia.
In some rural areas, bandicoots (the rats) damage stored grain.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/10 09:04