hamster

[ham-ster]

noun

1. any of several short-tailed, stout-bodied, burrowing rodents, as Cricetus cricetus, of Europe and Asia, having large cheek pouches.

hamster

/ ˈhæmstə /

noun

1. any Eurasian burrowing rodent of the tribe Cricetini, such as Mesocricetus auratus ( golden hamster ), having a stocky body, short tail, and cheek pouches: family Cricetidae. They are popular pets

Word History and Origins

Origin of hamster¹

1600–10; < German; compare Old High German hamastro, Old Saxon hamstra weevil

Word History and Origins

Origin of hamster¹

C17: from German, from Old High German hamustro, of Slavic origin

Example Sentences

"We could check the index and reply, 'Last time you wrote, your hamster had a sore paw. I do hope it's better.' It's only a tiny thing, but children aren't stupid."

From BBC

The plan was to return to California sometime in 2024 and hop back on the restaurant hamster wheel.

From Los Angeles Times

For those who wish to hear it, there’s a lesson in this: the only way to “win” is to get off the hamster wheel of precarious masculinity.

From Salon

It was 2016, and we were not as on that Netflix kind of drip of just sitting like hamsters hitting the dopamine button.

From Los Angeles Times

When Chris Davies's daughter first begged him for a hamster, he wasn't exactly thrilled.

From BBC

When To Use

Where does the word hamster come from?

The name for those adorable, fluffy, little chipmunk-cheeked rodents known as hamsters hails from German. Hamster was borrowed directly from the German Hamster in the early 1600s.We consider hamsters as the hipsters of the rodent world. Just because we can. For the sheer fun of wordplay. Alas, the -ster suffix in hipster is unrelated to the letters -ster in hamster.Now that you know how hamsters got their name, why not find out how some of our other most beloved pets got theirs in the slideshow: "Where Do The Words For Our Pets Come From?"