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cavy

American  
[key-vee] / ˈkeɪ vi /

noun

plural

cavies
  1. any of several short-tailed or tailless South American rodents of the family Caviidae, as the guinea pig, capybara, or agouti.


cavy British  
/ ˈkeɪvɪ /

noun

  1. any small South American hystricomorph rodent of the family Caviidae, esp any of the genus Cavia, having a thickset body and very small tail See also guinea pig

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cavy

1790–1800; < New Latin Cavia name of the genus < Carib ( Galibi ) cabiai

Vocabulary lists containing cavy

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The zoo also has three of the world’s four largest rodents, including the Patagonian cavy, a sweet-tempered mammal that looks like a cross between a jack rabbit and a dog.

From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2014

The other half heard anthropomorphized language, like “Mother cavy tucks her babies into bed in a small cave.”

From Scientific American • Apr. 8, 2014

At night, Mother cavy tucks her babies in to bed in a small cave.

From Scientific American • Mar. 27, 2014

Mother cavy and her babies spend the rest of the day lying in the sun.

From Scientific American • Mar. 27, 2014

Of the last family, Caviidæ, the cavy and the capybara are well known to travellers in South America, and the common guinea pig is familiar to us all.

From Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon by Sterndale, Robert Armitage