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• pack rat
  pack rat

  noun

  a large, bushy-tailed rodent, Neotoma cinerea, of North America, noted for carrying off small articles to store in its nest.
• pack-rat
  pack-rat

  verb (used with object)

  to save in the manner of a pack rat.

pack rat

¹ American  

Or packrat

noun

1. Also called wood rat.  Also called trade rat,.  a large, bushy-tailed rodent, Neotoma cinerea, of North America, noted for carrying off small articles to store in its nest.

2. Informal. a person who saves things that are not needed or used but that may have personal or other value.

3. Informal. an old prospector or guide.

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pack-rat ² American  

[pak-rat] / ˈpækˌræt /

Or packrat

verb (used with object)

Informal.

pack-ratted, pack-ratting

1. to save in the manner of a pack rat.

   I’m looking through the stuff my grandpa pack-ratted away in the attic.

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pack rat British  

noun

1. Also called: wood rat.  any rat of the genus Neotoma, of W North America, having a long tail that is furry in some species: family Cricetidae

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Etymology

Origin of pack rat¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Origin of pack-rat²

First recorded in 1870–75