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Where does the word "dingo" come from? It comes from Dharug dingu, and was adopted directly into English (1789).
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Where does the word "dingo" come from? It comes from Dharug dingu, and was adopted directly into English (1789).
Dingo’s story begins in Dharug: dingu meant “a wild dog.” The name for Australia's wild dog. It reached English by 1789 as dingo. Watkin Tench recorded the word near Sydney in 1789. Today, dingo means a wild dog native to Australia.
- Stage 1 · Dharug · 1700s dingu "a wild dog", the name for Australia's wild dog.
- Stage 2 · English · 1789 dingo "the wild dog of Australia", Watkin Tench recorded the word near Sydney in 1789.