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Glite Dictionary
nail-tailed wallaby

nail-tailed wallaby

8.3
A small wallaby with a hard nail at the tip of its tail
  • noun
  • Australian
translation icon : wallaby de cola con uña
  • The nail-tailed wallaby gets its name from the small, horny projection at the end of its tail.

Examples

  • Researchers observed a group of nail-tailed wallabies feeding at dusk in the open grassland.

  • Conservationists are working to protect the endangered nail-tailed wallaby in Australia.

  • The nail-tailed wallaby is native to Australia.

  • I saw a nail-tailed wallaby at the wildlife park.

  • Conservationists are working to protect the endangered nail-tailed wallaby in Australia.

  • Researchers observed a group of nail-tailed wallabies feeding at dusk in the open grassland.

  • The nail-tailed wallaby gets its name from the small, horny projection at the end of its tail.

Synonyms

nail-tailed kangaroo
vsnail-tailed wallaby
  • Australian
9.6

A small kangaroo-like animal with a hard nail at the tip of its tail

is the same but does not state Australian origin

Surface Forms

nail-tailed wallaby singular
nail-tailed wallabies plural

Morphology

nail-tailed + wallaby

The compound 'nail-tailed wallaby' can be directly parsed as a wallaby described by a nail-like or nail-tipped tail: the pattern 'X-tailed' (e.g. long-tailed, feather-tailed) is a regular descriptive formation and 'nail' + 'tail' are basic words. Although 'nail-tailed' is uncommon, the meaning is compositional and a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer a wallaby with a hard/nail-like tip on its tail.

Etymology

Nail-tailed wallaby is named for the small, hard nail at the end of its tail. Imagine a little wallaby with a tiny pointed knob there, and that clear image is why the name 'means' a wallaby with a nail on its tail.