Matilda

[muh-til-duh] /məˈtɪl də/

noun, Australian.
1.
2 (def 2).
[muh-til-duh; for 3 also Italian mah-teel-dah] /məˈtɪl də; for 3 also Italian mɑˈtil dɑ/
noun
1.
Also called Maud. 1102–67, empress of the Holy Roman Empire 1114–25; queen of England 1141 (daughter of Henry I of England).
2.
Military. a 26½-ton British tank of early World War II, having a crew of four and armed with a 40mm gun.
3.
Also, Matilde
[muh-til-duh; French ma-teeld; Italian mah-teel-de] /məˈtɪl də; French maˈtild; Italian mɑˈtil dɛ/ (Show IPA). a female given name.
/məˈtɪldə/
noun (Austral, informal)
1.
a bushman’s swag
2.
waltz Matilda, walk Matilda, to travel the road carrying one’s swag
/məˈtɪldə/
noun
1.
known as the Empress Maud. 1102–67, only daughter of Henry I of England and wife of Geoffrey of Anjou. After her father’s death (1135) she unsuccessfully waged a civil war with Stephen for the English throne; her son succeeded as Henry II

fem. proper name, from French Mathilde, of Germanic origin, literally “mighty in battle;” cf. Old High German Mahthilda, from mahti “might, power” + hildi “battle,” from Proto-Germanic *hildiz “battle,” from PIE *kel- (1) “to strike, cut.” The name also was late 19c. Australian slang for “a traveller’s bundle or swag,” hence the expression waltzing Matilda “to travel on foot” (by 1889).

In my electorate nearly every man you meet who is not “waltzing Matilda” rides a bicycle. [“Parliamentary Debates,” Australia, 1907]

The lyrics of the song of that name, sometimes called the unofficial Australian national anthem, are said to date to 1893.