Definition of "bandicoot" [ban•di•coot]

• Any of several large rats of the genera Bandicota and Nesokia of southeast Asia. (noun)
• Any of several ratlike marsupials of the family Peramelidae, of Australia and adjacent islands, that feed on insects and plants and have a long, tapering snout and elongated hind legs. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The English term bandicoot is a corruption of the Telinga name _pandikoku_, literally _pig-rat_.] _Porcupine_."
• "_ The English term bandicoot is a corruption of the Telinga name _pandikoku_, literally _pig-rat_.]"
• "The bandicoot is a species of marsupial animal which could outwit the European fox, and give him lessons in pillaging poultry yards."