cavy

[key-vee]

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cavy¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cavy¹

C18: from New Latin Cavia, from Galibi cabiai

Example Sentences

The Patagonian cavies look like jackrabbits and are native to Argentina.

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Duke recalled a case of escaped Patagonian cavies in McCormick County, where The Greenwood Index-Journal reported a kangaroo was spotted last year.

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But he said it’s been six or seven years since the last cavy was reported to Natural Resources.

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Guests who come to visit Dave and Dawn Hoekstra’s collection of exotic animals can come face-to-face with lemurs, watch Patagonian cavies munch their carrot lunches or enter an enclosure filled with colorful parakeets.

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Since taking over as zoo curator two years ago, Dr. Valitutto has brought in such animals as Patagonian cavies, a cassowary and a capybara, more than doubling the collection of animals, to 1,500.

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Related Words

• Cavia porcellus www.thesaurus.com
• rodent