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Where does the word "wombat" come from? It comes from Dharug wambad, and was adopted directly into English (1798).
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Where does the word "wombat" come from? It comes from Dharug wambad, and was adopted directly into English (1798).
Wombat’s story begins in Dharug: wambad meant “the wombat.” The name for the stocky, burrowing marsupial. It reached English by 1798 as wombat. From Dharug 'wambad'; wombats produce cube-shaped droppings. Today, wombat means a stocky, burrowing marsupial native to Australia.
- Stage 1 · Dharug · 1790s wambad "the wombat", the name for the stocky, burrowing marsupial.
- Stage 2 · English · 1798 wombat "a stocky, burrowing Australian marsupial", from Dharug 'wambad'; wombats produce cube-shaped droppings.