Meanings
nounphalanger (plural phalangers)
plural phalangers
- An arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, native to Australia.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsmall furry Australian arboreal marsupials having long usually prehensile tails
Broader
marsupialpouched mammal
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekφαλάγγιον“spider's web”
- Englishphalanger
From Ancient Greek φαλάγγιον (phalángion, “spider's web”), from φάλαγξ (phálanx, “spider”), referring to the webbed toes on the hind feet.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 袋貂
- 袋貂 (dàidiāo)marsupial of the family Phalangeridae
Finnish kuskus, pussikiipijä
- kuskusmarsupial of the family Phalangeridae
- pussikiipijämarsupial of the family Phalangeridae
Cite this entry
APA
phalanger. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phalanger
MLA
“phalanger.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phalanger. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “phalanger,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phalanger.
Source: phalanger on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.