Aussie

How to spell aussie

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce aussie

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does aussie mean?

1. nounAn informal term for a person from Australia.
2. adjectiveRelating to Australia or Australians, used informally.

Aussie in a sentence

• noun

  The hostel was full of backpackers, including a friendly aussie from Perth.

• adjective

  She packed a jar of that famous aussie yeast spread for the trip.

• noun

  Our new colleague is an aussie who moved to London for the job.

• adjective

  The pub served an aussie beer on tap alongside the local ales.

Where does aussie come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is an informal clipping of 'Australian', with the spelling reshaped to match the typical Australian pronunciation, in which the s is voiced and sounds like a z (roughly 'ozzie'). The base name 'Australia' itself descends from the Latin terra australis, meaning 'southern land', built on auster, the Latin word for the south wind and by extension the south. English took 'Australia' into common use in the early nineteenth century once the continent was being mapped and settled, and the affectionate short form 'Aussie' grew up in colloquial speech and soldier slang around the time of the First World War. The friendly '-ie' ending is the same diminutive habit that gives English 'movie', 'footie', and 'barbie', a pattern Australians are especially fond of. The spelling trap is the doubled s followed by the soft, almost unwritten ending, since the word looks nothing like the z sound people actually say.

How the word is built

• Auss- (clipped from Australia/Australian)
• -ie (informal noun suffix)