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Cassowary

3 stages from Malay to English.

Today it means a large flightless bird of New Guinea and northern Australia with a bony head crest

Where does the word "cassowary" come from? It comes from Malay kasuari, passing through Dutch before entering English (1610s).

kasuari→kasuaris→cassowary

the bird lives in New Guinea, nearby islands such as Seram, and northern Australia; the Malay name may itself come from a Papuan language

the first Dutch expedition to the East Indies, under Cornelis de Houtman, brought a live cassowary back to Amsterdam in 1597

English · 1610s

"large flightless bird"

borrowed from Dutch; Linnaeus later, in 1758, classed it as Struthio casuarius, lumping it in with the ostrich

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Read the full story

Cassowary’s story begins in Malay: kasuari meant “cassowary.” The bird lives in New Guinea, nearby islands such as Seram, and northern Australia; the Malay name may itself come from a Papuan language. By 1597, the word had taken hold in Dutch as kasuaris. The first Dutch expedition to the East Indies, under Cornelis de Houtman, brought a live cassowary back to Amsterdam in 1597. It reached English by 1610s as cassowary. Borrowed from Dutch; Linnaeus later, in 1758, classed it as Struthio casuarius, lumping it in with the ostrich. Today, cassowary means a large flightless bird of New Guinea and northern Australia with a bony head crest.