Marsupial

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /mɑːˈsuːpiÉ™l/
• US IPA: /mɑɹˈsuːpiÉ™l/
• Hyphenation: mar + su + pial

Origin

From Latin marsupium, marsuppium ("pouch, purse"), from Ancient Greek μαρσύπιον or μαρσύππιον, variants of μαρσίππιον, diminutive of μάρσιππος (marsippos, "bag, pouch"); with English -al.

Full definition of marsupial

Noun

1. A mammal of which the female has a pouch in which it rears its young, which are born immature, through early infancy, such as the kangaroo or koala, or else pouchless members of the Marsupialia like the shrew opposum.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

• marsupial bone
• marsupial frog
• marsupial lion
• marsupial mouse

Related terms

• Marsupialia
• marsupialoid
• marsupium

Adjective

1. Of or pertaining to a marsupial.
• 1892, The American naturalist‎, page 125:Showing that this animal is marsupial, consists of the following characters.
• 1952, The Motor‎, page 520:It seemed to me, meandering around Earls Court, that motors should be more marsupial.
• 2002, Fiction Fix: First Injection, page 58:But there's this pouch just below my belly button, very marsupial, where the kangaroo lives.
2. (anatomy) Of or relating to a marsupium.the marsupial bones