gerbil

[ jur-buhl ]

/ ˈdʒɜr bəl /

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Definition of gerbil

noun

any of numerous small burrowing rodents of the genus Gerbillus and related genera, of Asia, Africa, and southern Russia, having long hind legs used for jumping.

Also called tamarisk gerbil. a jird, Meriones unguiculatus, that is popular as a pet.

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Also called sand rat.

Origin of gerbil

1840–50; <French gerbille<New Latin gerbillus, diminutive of gerbojerboa

Words nearby gerbil

geranium family, Gerar, Gerard, geratology, gerbera, gerbil, Gerd, gerent, gerenuk, gerfalcon, Gergiev

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use gerbil in a sentence

In Central Asia, it appears to hang around in gerbils, while in North America, prairie dogs seem to play a key role.
The American West’s changing climate might mean more plague-carrying critters|Philip Kiefer|November 23, 2021|Popular-Science

British Dictionary definitions for gerbil

gerbil

gerbille

/ (ˈdʒɜːbɪl) /

noun

any burrowing rodent of the subfamily Gerbillinae, inhabiting hot dry regions of Asia and Africa and having soft pale fur: family Cricetidae

Word Origin for gerbil

C19: from French gerbille, from New Latin gerbillus a little jerboa

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