common wallaby

4.8

A small animal that hops like a kangaroo and lives in Australia

noun
/ˈkɑːmən ˈwɑːləbi/

Australian

: wallaby común

The common wallaby is often seen grazing in open grasslands at dawn and dusk.

Examples

Unlike kangaroos, the common wallaby is much smaller and more elusive in the wild.
Our guide pointed out a common wallaby hiding among the eucalyptus trees.
The common wallaby is a fascinating marsupial.
I saw a common wallaby hopping in the field.
The common wallaby is often seen grazing in open grasslands at dawn and dusk.
Our guide pointed out a common wallaby hiding among the eucalyptus trees.
Unlike kangaroos, the common wallaby is much smaller and more elusive in the wild.

Synonyms

wallaby

vscommon wallaby

Australian

7 5.9

A small or medium animal like a kangaroo that lives in Australia and carries babies in a pouch

is a specific species of small marsupial about thirty inches tall

Surface Forms

common wallaby singular

common wallabies plural

Morphology

common + wallaby

This is a straightforward adjective + noun combination: 'common' (ordinary/widespread) modifying 'wallaby' (a small marsupial), so the meaning 'a widespread/typical wallaby species' is directly inferable from the parts. Such adjectival species names follow standard compositional patterns cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.

Etymology

Common wallaby may come from a word in an Aboriginal language for a small hopping animal, so the part wallaby named the animal and the word common was added by early settlers to show it was the one 'seen most often'. That's why today common wallaby means a small wallaby you can see in many places.