A kangaroo word is a word that contains letters of another word, in order, with the same meaning. For example: the word masculine contains the word male, which is a synonym of the first word; similarly, the word observe contains its synonym see. The etymology of the phrase kangaroo word is from the fact that kangaroos carry their babies (joeys) in a body pouch. Likewise, kangaroo words carry their joey words within themselves. Double kangaroos are kangaroo words containing two joey words (for example: container features both tin and can). There is doubt about two other requirements for a word to qualify as a kangaroo word:
- The letters of the joey word must not all be consecutive within the kangaroo word.[1][2]
- The kangaroo and joey words must be etymologically unrelated.[3]
However, these requirements are not shared by different dictionaries. Examples demonstrating the differences are listed below.
Contents |
Examples
The joey word is highlighted in bold within the kangaroo word. The list is separated according to the strictness of the definition - etymology is taken from The Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Letters may not be consecutive
Etymologically unrelated
- abide
- affect
- allocate
- appropriate
- asseverate
Etymologically related
- acrid
- amicable
- astound
Letters permitted to be consecutive
Etymologically unrelated
- aberrant
- barricade
- canister
Etymologically related
- action
- arch
- banish
