noun a sheep. The origin of this word has long been conjectured. 'Jumbuck' arose in Australian Aboriginal pidgin, which also had 'jump up' (to appear, to come, to be reincarnated), which may be related, though it is difficult to see how exactly. In 1896 a Mr Meston surmised the hardly credible theory that it was from an Aboriginal word meaning 'the white mist preceding a shower, to which a flock of sheep bore a strong resemblance'. 'Jumbuck' is now all but forgotten except that it occurs in the lyrics of the national song 'Waltzing Matilda' AUSTRALIA, 1824