/ mɑːˈsuːpiəl; NAmE mɑːrˈs-/ noun
any Australian animal that carries its young in a pocket of skin (called a pouch ) on the mother's stomach. Kangaroos and koalas are marsupials.
► mar·su·pial adjective
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WORD ORIGIN
late 17th cent. (in the sense resembling a pouch ): from modern Latin marsupialis , via Latin from Greek marsupion pouch, diminutive of marsipos purse.