thylacine

noun

thy·​la·​cine ˈthī-lə-ˌsīn How to pronounce thylacine (audio)

Examples of thylacine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The alterations would approximate aspects of the thylacine’s phenotype—the observable characteristics of a creature. D. T. Max, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025 The startup had been working the past few years on three species: the mammoth, their marquee animal, which Lamm estimates will be ready by 2028, plus the dodo and the thylacine, a marsupial also known as the Tamsanian tiger. Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2025 Since then, the private company, valued at about $10 billion, according to Bloomberg, has expanded its plans to include the de-extinction of the Australian thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) and the dodo. Mike Snider, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025 Colossal previously announced efforts to revive other extinct species like the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the thylacine, but the dire wolf's return is the first successful mammalian de-extinction of its kind. John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for thylacine

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Thylacinus, genus of marsupials, from Greek thylakos sack, pouch

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thylacine was in 1838

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thylacine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thylacine. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on thylacine

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!