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Glite Dictionary
nail-tailed kangaroo

nail-tailed kangaroo

9.6
A small kangaroo-like animal with a hard nail at the tip of its tail
  • noun
  • Australian
translation icon : canguro de cola con uña
  • The nail-tailed kangaroo is easily identified by the distinctive nail at the tip of its tail.

Examples

  • Researchers are studying the habitat preferences of the nail-tailed kangaroo in outback Australia.

  • Farmers sometimes spot a nail-tailed kangaroo grazing near cattle during dawn.

  • Look at that nail-tailed kangaroo!

  • The nail-tailed kangaroo is a unique species found in Australia.

  • The nail-tailed kangaroo is easily identified by the distinctive nail at the tip of its tail.

  • Researchers are studying the habitat preferences of the nail-tailed kangaroo in outback Australia.

  • Farmers sometimes spot a nail-tailed kangaroo grazing near cattle during dawn.

Synonyms

nail-tailed wallaby
vsnail-tailed kangaroo
  • Australian
8.3

A small wallaby with a hard nail at the tip of its tail

is the same but specifies it is native to Australia

Surface Forms

nail-tailed kangaroo singular
nail-tailed kangaroos plural

Morphology

nail-tailed + kangaroo

The phrase is transparently compositional: 'nail-tailed' can be parsed as 'having a nail on the tail' (noun 'nail' + 'tailed' as in common adjective patterns like 'long-tailed'), and 'kangaroo' is a familiar animal term. A B1 learner who knows 'nail' and 'tail' would reliably infer that this denotes a kangaroo with a nail-like or horny tip on its tail, so the overall meaning is derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Nail-tailed kangaroo comes from a small Australian wallaby that has a hard, horn-like nail at the tip of its tail. That clear image, a tiny nail on the tail, is why the name refers to this particular species.