Myall
adj, name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A stranger; an ignorant person. obsolete
"He […] flung himself into the outstretched arms of Anna. "Wazzer madder liddle man?" she crooned. "Aw wazzer madder wid de liddle myall now?""
- 2 Any of various Australian acacias, especially the weeping myall, Acacia pendula, or the wood of such trees. countable, uncountable
"1859, John McDouall Stuart, journal entry, Third Expedition (In the vicinity of Lake Torrens, Explorations in Australia - The Journals of John McDouall Stuart, Echo Library, 2006, page 57, Friday, 30th December, Hanson Range. […] Changed our course to a very prominent hill (which I have named Mount Arthur) bearing 275 degrees, and after crossing two small myall creeks and a stony plain with salt bush and grass, at ten miles we struck a large myall and gum creek, coming from the north-west, with some very deep channels."
- 3 An Aboriginal person living according to tradition. Australia
- 1 According to Aboriginal tradition; traditionally indigenous. Australia
"It was some kind of gadget that can take away all your myall words, transcribe what you say in better language so people can understand what you are talking about."
- 2 Ignorant, stupid. Australia
"‘You blooming myall or what? What if the cops shot ya?’"
- 1 A surname from Middle English. countable, uncountable
- 2 A locality in the Shire of Buloke, Victoria, Australia. countable, uncountable
- 3 A locality in the Shire of Gannawarra, Victoria, Australia. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"He […] flung himself into the outstretched arms of Anna. "Wazzer madder liddle man?" she crooned. "Aw wazzer madder wid de liddle myall now?""
Etymology
Borrowed from Dharug mayal, miyal.
Aboriginal, perhaps a transferred use of Etymology 1, above.
For the surname, from Middle English Mighel, Mihel, variant of Michel (“Michael”). Mostly found in Essex.
Related phrases
More for "myall"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.