koala

Etymology

From Dharug 'gula' or 'gulawany' (no water, does not drink), referring to the animal's habit of obtaining most of its moisture from eucalyptus leaves rather than drinking water. Dharug is an Aboriginal Australian language of the Sydney region. Early European settlers recorded various spellings — 'cullawine,' 'koala,' 'coola' — before 'koala' became standard. The animal was first described by Europeans in 1798 and initially classified as a type of bear, leading to the persistent misnomer 'koala bear' — though koalas are marsupials, not bears. The Dharug language is critically endangered, but its most famous export has become one of the best-known animal names in the world. Key roots: gula (Dharug: "no water").

Koala traces back to Dharug gula, meaning "no water". Across languages it shares form or sense with French koala, German Koala and Spanish koala, evidence of a shared etymological family.