Meanings
nounyowie (plural yowies)
plural yowies
- AustraliabiologyAn ape-like monster or animal said to exist in parts of eastern Australia.First known use 20th c.
The white population claimed that an escaped panther from a travelling circus was the culprit; others thought that a Yowie was responsible.
1986, Bruce Pascoe, “The Slaughters of the Bulumwaal Butcher”, in Anita Heiss, Peter Minter, editors, Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature, Allen & Unwin, published 2008, page 101
Origin
- Gamilaraayyuwi“dream spirit”
- Englishyowie
Borrowed from Gamilaraay yuwi (“dream spirit”).
More words from Gamilaraay
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with yowie
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APA
yowie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yowie
MLA
“yowie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yowie. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “yowie,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yowie.
Source: yowie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.