Etymology

budgerigar

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Today it means: A species of small green parakeet, Melopsittacus undulatus, native to inland Australia; a common cagebird throughout the world and bred in many colour varieties. Full definition →

Gamilaraay gijirrigaa
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The story

  1. Gamilaraay · borrowed fromgijirrigaa
  2. English todaybudgerigar

Possibly an alteration of Gamilaraay gijirrigaa; change of initial syllable unexplained though possibly from Aboriginal Pidgin English budgeree. The purported derivation from an Indigenous term meaning "good bird" or "good eating", from Australian Pidgin English budgeree (“good”), from Sydney Language budjiri, has long been discounted but remains persistent.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.