nardoo

Where does the word "nardoo" come from? It comes from Aboriginal Australian (exact language uncertain) nardoo, and was adopted directly into English (1860s).

Nardoo’s story begins in Aboriginal Australian (exact language uncertain): nardoo meant “clover fern; its seed flour.” From a language of inland south-eastern Australia, though which one is uncertain; peoples such as the Yandruwandha of Cooper Creek ground its spore cases into flour after soaking and washing them. It reached English by 1860s as nardoo. Burke and Wills lived on nardoo at Cooper Creek in 1861 but prepared it without the Aboriginal washing method, likely leaving them short of thiamine; John King survived with Yandruwandha help. Today, nardoo means an Australian clover-like fern whose spore cases were ground for flour.

1. Stage 1 · Aboriginal Australian (exact language uncertain) · 1800s nardoo "clover fern; its seed flour", from a language of inland south-eastern Australia, though which one is uncertain; peoples such as the Yandruwandha of Cooper Creek ground its spore cases into flour after soaking and washing them.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1860s nardoo "clover fern", Burke and Wills lived on nardoo at Cooper Creek in 1861 but prepared it without the Aboriginal washing method, likely leaving them short of thiamine; John King survived with Yandruwandha help.