means a large hopping marsupial native to Australia, with powerful hind legs, a thick tail, and a pouch in which the female carries her young.

from From Guugu Yimithirr 'gangurru,' the word for a particular species of large kangaroo, recorded by Captain Cook's crew in 1770 near present-day Cooktown. The charming legend says it means 'I don't understand you' — supposedly an Aboriginal speaker's reply to a clumsy question — but that tale is folk etymology; the word really did name the animal. The confusion came later, when settlers in other parts of Australia used 'kangaroo' to local peoples who didn't recognize it, since it belonged to a different language entirely.