koala

noun ko·ala \kə-ˈwä-lə, kō-ˈä-\

: an Australian animal that has thick gray fur, large hairy ears, sharp claws for climbing, and no tail

Full Definition of KOALA

: an Australian arboreal marsupial (Phascolarctos cinereus) that has a broad head, large hairy ears, dense gray fur, and sharp claws and feeds on eucalyptus leaves —called also koala bear

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Illustration of KOALA

Origin of KOALA

Dharuk (Australian aboriginal language of the Port Jackson area) gula, gulawanʸ

First Known Use: 1803

Rhymes with KOALA

cantala, chuckwalla, cicala, corolla, halala, Lingala, marsala, Messala, nyala, tambala, Uppsala

KOALA Defined for Kids

koala

noun ko·ala \kō-ˈä-lə\

Definition of KOALA for Kids

: a tailless Australian animal with thick fur and big hairy ears, sharp claws for climbing, and a pouch like the kangaroo's for carrying its young

Word History of KOALA

The word koala 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. The word was first written koolah, which was probably closer to the way it was pronounced in Dharuk. The spelling koala—which came to be read as three syllables rather than two—may originally have been someone's misspelling of the word.