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numbat

[ nuhm-bat ]

numbat

/ ˈnʌmˌbæt /

noun

  1. a small Australian marsupial, Myrmecobius fasciatus, having a long snout and tongue and strong claws for hunting and feeding on termites: family Dasyuridae Also calledbanded anteater


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Word History and Origins

Origin of numbat1

First recorded in 1920–25, numbat is from the Nyungar word numbat

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Word History and Origins

Origin of numbat1

C20: from a native Australian language

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Example Sentences

This is where the genome of the thylacine’s closest living cousin—the numbat—can help.

The striped, termite-eating numbat is Western Australia’s faunal emblem, and now lives only in small pockets of that state, although it once roamed throughout southern Australia.

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