Noongar

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A member of an Indigenous Australian people from the southwest region of Western Australia
2. The language spoken by the Noongar people, characterized by its unique phonetic and grammatical features
3. Relating to the culture, traditions, and history of the Noongar people, encompassing their connection to the land and community

Etymology: The word "noongar" is a spelling variant of "Nyunga," the name the Noongar people of southwest Western Australia use for themselves. It comes from "nyunga nungar" in their own language, a phrase meaning "a person" or "a man," so the name is simply a word for human being, the same kind of self-designation found across many Indigenous Australian languages. English speakers borrowed the term from that Noongar usage, which means the word did not originate as a label imposed from outside but as the community's own word for its people. The spelling "noongar" reflects an English rendering of the Noongar pronunciation, and it now appears alongside the older "Nyunga" form.

Synonyms: Noongar people