boomerang

noun boo·mer·ang \ˈbü-mə-ˌraŋ\

: a curved, flat, wooden tool that can be thrown in such a way that it returns to the thrower

Full Definition of BOOMERANG

: a bent or angular throwing club typically flat on one side and rounded on the other so that it soars or curves in flight; especially : one designed to return near the thrower

: an act or utterance that backfires on its originator

— boomerang intransitive verb

See boomerang defined for English-language learners

See boomerang defined for kids

Origin of BOOMERANG

Dharuk (Australian aboriginal language of the Port Jackson area) bumarinʸ

First Known Use: 1825

Rhymes with BOOMERANG

charabanc, give a hang, overhang, parasang, rhyming slang, siamang, yin and yang

BOOMERANG Defined for Kids

boomerang

noun boo·mer·ang \ˈbü-mə-ˌraŋ\

Definition of BOOMERANG for Kids

: a curved club that can be thrown so as to return to the thrower

Word History of BOOMERANG

The word boomerang was taken from a language called Dharuk, spoken by the native Australian people who lived around what is today Sydney, Australia, when the first Europeans landed there in 1788. Many Dharuk speakers died of smallpox, brought by European colonists, and the language was almost completely out of use by about 1850. Curiously, the earliest record of Dharuk, taken down in 1790, incorrectly described boomerang as a kind of wooden sword.