marsupial
8
5.1
- noun
- /mɑrˈsuːpiəl/
:
marsupial
- The kangaroo is a well-known marsupial that carries its young in a pouch.
- carnivorous marsupial
- small marsupials
- Australian marsupial
Echidnas, which are a really funky egg laying marsupial, they only nurse every three days.
- Echidnas, which are a really funky egg laying marsupial, they only nurse every three days.
Examples
-
Her new teacher, being interested in the child's individuality, discovered her knowledge of kangaroos and other marsupials.
Academic text (1992) -
Its native life, primarily avians and marsupials, was unique but not plentiful.
Fiction book (1991) -
- Do you know what a marsupial is?
-
How creationists deal with the fact that most marsupials are in Australia.
Blog text (18) -
The other big problem is that there are no marsupials in Mesopotamia.
Blog text (18) -
An American marsupial.
-
Nocturnal and endangered, a marsupial mouse thought to be extinct until recently.
-
Arboreal marsupials are tree-dwelling animals, many of which never touch the ground throughout their lives.
Fiction book (1995) -
And in case you don't know, a numbat is an endangered insectivorous marsupial from WA with distinctive regal markings down its back.
-
The common wombat is a large marsupial native to Australia, known for its burrowing habits.
Synonyms
An animal whose mother has a pouch to carry and feed young
Compounds
- Australian
A small meat-eating marsupial from Australia and Tasmania that hunts at night
- Australian
A small Australian animal that lives underground and carries its babies in a pouch
- Australian
A small Australian mammal with a pouch that looks like a mouse and eats insects
- Australian
A small animal like a mouse that eats insects and carries its young in a pouch
Surface Forms
Morphology
marsupial = marsup + al
The element 'marsup-' is a non‑productive combining form (from Latin/Greek for 'pouch') not recognizable as an English base, so learners cannot reliably derive the meaning from known English morphemes.
Etymology
Marsupial comes from the Latin word marsupium, which means 'pouch' like a pocket or small purse. So a marsupial is an animal that carries and feeds its young in a pouch.