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guinea pig
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noun
a short-eared, tailless rodent of the genus Cavia, usually white, black, and tawny, commonly regarded as the domesticated form of one of the South American wild species of cavy: often used in scientific experiments or kept as a pet.
Informal. the subject of any sort of experiment: I've volunteered as a guinea pig in several clinical trials.
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Origin of guinea pig
First recorded in1655–65
Words nearby guinea pig
guinea grass, guinea hen, guinea-hen flower, Guinean, Guinea pepper, guinea pig, guinea worm, Guinevere, Guinness, guipure, guiro
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use guinea pig in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for guinea pig
guinea pig
noun
a domesticated cavy, probably descended from Cavia porcellus, commonly kept as a pet and used in scientific experiments
a person or thing used for experimentation
Word Origin for guinea pig
C17: origin uncertain: perhaps from old use of the name Guinea to mean any remote unknown land
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
Medical definitions for guinea pig
guinea pig
[ gĭn′ē ]
n.
Any of various small, short-eared domesticated rodents of the genus Cavia, having variously colored hair and no visible tail. They are widely kept as pets and often used as experimental animals.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.