Dictionary

goanna en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɡəʊ̯ˈæn.ə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɡoˈan.ʌ/ (Scotland)
• /ɡɐʉ̯ˈæn.ə/ (Australia)
• /ɡəʉ̯ˈæn.ə/ (Australia)
• /ɡoˈan.ə/ (Scotland)
• /ɡəʊ̯ˈan.ə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• gō-ăn′ə
• /ɡoʊ̯ˈæn.ə/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ɡɐʉ̯ˈɛn.ə/ (New-Zealand)

Etymology

A respelling in Australia of guana, from iguana. Rhyming slang sense 2 rhyming on colloquial pronunciation pianner.

Meanings

1. Any of various monitor lizards native to Australia.
   • Four goannas ran up the tree, and the animals of the bush had preyed so very lavishly on the remains of mortality that the thorax and other parts of the neck, together with various portions of flesh from the body, were missing. 1832 November 15, “Coroner's Inquest”, in The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, page 3:
   • Hello! There's a goanna; that's a good sized one; but nothing to the one that I tumbled over when I was coming from the Big River. 1849 April 21, “The Ring”, in Bell's Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer, page 2:
   • I'll think of how the kids come alive walking around sandplains / reading tracks, looking for goannas, digging up witchetty grubs / collecting berries, branches of bush medicines. 2022, Meg Mooney, Northern Territory Literary Awards, page 33:
2. (Australia, slang) A piano.

Forms

Deriveds

water goanna · racehorse goanna · sand goanna · Gould's goanna

Translations (38)

wbp kuwana (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · fr goanna (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · rop gwana (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · zku kaityita (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · hu varánusz (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · nnv wiralya (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · bjb bardna (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · nay tiyungi (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · pl waran (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · kld yurrandaali (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · fi goanna (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · jui budna (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · aer arlewatyerre (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · ru вара́н (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · es goanna (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · zku puntunya (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · nay thuyuni (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · pjt tinka (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · pjt miḻpaḻi (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · pjt kurkaṯi (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · nnr waribadja (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · vma mirntirimarta (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · rop gowena (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · jui inawala (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · pjt mulyamaṟu (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · nys bangara (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · cmn 巨蜥 (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · nnv partna (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · ru гоа́нна (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · kld thulii (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · adt vardna (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · it goanna (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · wrr walanja (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · nnr bardna (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · zku kalta (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · nys karda (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · xdk wirriga (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia) · wmb mayinanji (any of various monitor lizards native to Australia)

wikipedia: Australian English phonology · wikidata: Q5994 · wikidata: Q4351221