How did the kangaroo get its name?

WORD HISTORY A widely held belief has it that the word kangaroo comes from an Australian Aboriginal word meaning “I don't know.” This is in fact untrue. The word was first recorded in 1770 by Captain James Cook, when he landed to make repairs along the northeast coast of Australia. read more

The kangaroo is an odd animal, but the reason it is called so is even stranger. When the first explorer saw one in Australia, he asked a native Aborigine what its name was. Not understanding his question, he said ''Kan-Ga-Roo'', which is ''I don''t know'' in the Aboriginal language. read more

It appears to come from the Australian Aboriginal [Guugu Yimidhirr] name for the large marsupial “gangurru”. It was first transliterated into English as "kanguru" by naturalist Sir Joseph Banks aboard Cook's HMS Endeavour on 12 July 1770. read more