Kylie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A curved wooden throwing stick used by Aboriginal Australians that returns to the thrower when thrown correctly
2. A bent wooden projectile traditionally used by Indigenous Australian hunters that loops back to its starting point
3. An Aboriginal Australian hunting tool shaped like a bent stick that circles back after being thrown

Etymology: Kylie is best known today as the name of the Australian singer Kylie Minogue, but the word itself is older than her and far more humble. It is a term for a boomerang-like throwing stick used by Aboriginal Australians, and the source for it is a language from the Aboriginal Australian community. The word is possibly from Nyunga, a language of southern Australia, though its exact origin is uncertain. The sense it names is a curved wooden throwing stick, distinct from the returning boomerang in shape and use. English speakers picked the word up from the languages of the continent, so it arrived in English as a loanword describing an object from Aboriginal Australian culture rather than a coinage from European roots.