Etymology Map
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Bunyip

2 stages from Wemba-Wemba to English.

Today it means a legendary monster said to live in Australian swamps and billabongs

Where does the word "bunyip" come from? It comes from Wemba-Wemba banyip, adopted directly into English (1840s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
banyip
Wemba-Wemba · 1840s
"water monster"
a dangerous water spirit said by the Wemba-Wemba of north-western Victoria to lurk in swamps, creeks and billabongs
2
Stage 2 of 2
bunyip
English · 1840s
"legendary swamp creature; an impostor"
a strange skull found near the Murrumbidgee River in 1846 was put on show at the Australian Museum in Sydney in 1847 as a bunyip's, drawing crowds
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Read the full story

Bunyip’s story begins in Wemba-Wemba: banyip meant “water monster.” A dangerous water spirit said by the Wemba-Wemba of north-western Victoria to lurk in swamps, creeks and billabongs. It reached English by 1840s as bunyip. A strange skull found near the Murrumbidgee River in 1846 was put on show at the Australian Museum in Sydney in 1847 as a bunyip's, drawing crowds. Today, bunyip means a legendary monster said to live in Australian swamps and billabongs.