# kangaroo

Pronunciation: say "kang-guh-ROO" /ˌkæŋ.ɡəˈɹuː/

## Noun

1. A large marsupial of the Macropodidae family, native to Australia, with powerful hind legs adapted for hopping.
   - Simple: A large Australian animal that hops on strong back legs and carries its young in a pouch.
   - _A kangaroo bounded across the highway just before dawn._
   - _The reserve protects red kangaroos and several smaller marsupials._
5. A hooded jacket, usually made of fleece, with a large pouch-style pocket across the front. *(Canada)*
   - Simple: A hooded fleece jacket with a large pocket in front for your hands.
   - _He tucked his cold hands into the front pocket of his kangaroo._
   - _The store sells fleece kangaroos in every color._

## Verb

2. To move in a series of jumps or jerky leaps, similar to the hopping motion of a kangaroo.
   - Simple: To move forward in big jumps or jerky leaps, the way a kangaroo does.
   - _Inexperienced drivers tend to kangaroo down the street, lurching forward in jerks._
   - _The kayak kangarooed over the choppy waves._
3. To hold a premature or newborn infant against bare skin, typically chest to chest, as a form of care promoting bonding and warmth.
   - Simple: To hold a baby, often a premature one, against your bare chest to keep it warm and close.
   - _The midwife showed both parents how to kangaroo their fragile newborn._
   - _Mothers who kangaroo their infants regularly report stronger bonding._
4. To hunt kangaroos, usually across the open country of the Australian outback.
   - Simple: To go hunting for kangaroos, especially out in the open Australian country.
   - _Settlers would kangaroo across the plains whenever the herds grew too large._
   - _They spent the dry season kangarooing in the back country._

## Adjective

6. Relating to Australia, its people, or things considered characteristically Australian.
   - Simple: Belonging to or coming from Australia.
   - _The travelers fell in love with the kangaroo countryside and its endless horizons._
   - _Old letters from the colony often described the kangaroo climate as harsh._
7. Describing a securities market marked by rapidly jumping prices, or by the belief that prices are unstable, as distinct from bear and bull markets.
   - Simple: Marked by stock prices that jump up and down fast, so the market feels unstable.
   - _Analysts warned that the kangaroo market made long-term planning nearly impossible._
   - _Traders profited from the kangaroo swings by buying and selling within minutes._

## Origin

The word was borrowed from Guugu Yimidhirr, an Australian Aboriginal language, in which "gangurru" referred to the eastern grey kangaroo.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/kangaroo (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).