pack rat

¹

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.

pack-rat

²

Or pack·rat

[pak-rat]

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.

pack rat

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of pack rat¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Origin of pack rat²

First recorded in 1870–75