Pademelons

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small marsupial native to Australia and New Guinea that resembles a miniature kangaroo and is known for its shy and solitary behavior
2. A member of the macropod family, these animals are typically nocturnal and inhabit dense forests and bush environments
3. A type of wallaby characterized by its compact size and strong hind legs, primarily feeding on grass and leaves during the night

Etymology: "Pademelons" is the plural of "pademelon", the name for a small Australian marsupial related to kangaroos and wallabies. The singular was borrowed from Dharug, the language of the Sydney region, where the animal was known as "badimaliyan". English took the word in that form, so the name records an Aboriginal word for the animal rather than a European coinage. The plural follows ordinary English practice: one pademelon, several pademelons. The root word is the one that carries the history, and it is a plain loanword with no change of meaning since it entered English.