Australian Words - Aboriginal or Not? Quiz

Answer:

Four of the options are marsupials. "Numbat" comes from the Nyungar language of the Perth-Albany area; "wallaby" and "wombat" both come from the Dharuk language of the Sydney area. "Bandicoot", however, comes from Telugu, a Dravidian language of southern India.

Four others are trees. "Coolibah" (a species of eucalypt) is from the Yuwaaliyaay language of northern New South Wales, "jarrah" (a large tree with dark red timber) is from the Nyungar language from the Perth-Albany area, and "lallee" (a shrubby eucalypt) is probably from the Wemba-Wemba language of Western Victoria. However, "jacaranda" (a tree with bluish-purple flowers) comes from the Tupi-Gaurani language of South America.

Another four are birds. "Kookaburra" (a species of kingfisher) is from the Wiradhuri language of south-western New South Wales; "budgerigar" (a small parakeet) and "brolga" (a large silver-grey crane) are from the Kamilaroi language of eastern New South Wales. On the other hand, the word "emu" (a large flightless bird) is Portuguese in origin.

Next, we have five objects, only three of which are Aboriginal words. The origin of the word "didgeridoo" (a long musical instrument) is obscure, but it is not from an Aboriginal language - it may come from the Gaelic phrase "dúdaire dúth", meaning "native piper". "Nullarbor", (as in Nullarbor Plain, a large arid semi-desert area in southern Australia) is from the Latin for "no trees". "Boomerang" (a curved throwing weapon), "NullaNulla" (a club) and "Waddy" (a heavy stick or club) are all from the Dharuk language of the Sydney area.

Finally, four other animals. "Taipan" (a snake) is from the Wik-Mungkan language of western Cape York in Queensland, "Perentie" (another lizard) is from the Diyari language of the Lake Eyre region in South Australia, and "luderick" (a fish) is from the Kurnai language of the Gippsland area in Victoria. However, the word "goanna" (a lizard) is related to "iguana", which came into English from Spanish and ultimately from Arawak, a language of South America.