definitions

mammal

[ mam-uh l ]
/ ˈmæm əl /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mammal ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any vertebrate of the class Mammalia, having the body more or less covered with hair, nourishing the young with milk from the mammary glands, and, with the exception of the egg-laying monotremes, giving birth to live young.

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RELATED WORDS

beast, creature, vertebrate

Nearby words

mamillate, mamillation, mamilliform, mamillothalamic fascicle, mamma, mammal, mammalgia, mammalian, mammalogy, mammals, mammaplasty

Origin of mammal

1820–30; as singular of New Latin Mammalia neuter plural of Late Latin mammālis of the breast. See mamma2, -al1

Related forms

mam·mal·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mammal

British Dictionary definitions for mammal

mammal

/ (ˈmæməl) /

noun

any animal of the Mammalia, a large class of warm-blooded vertebrates having mammary glands in the female, a thoracic diaphragm, and a four-chambered heart. The class includes the whales, carnivores, rodents, bats, primates, etc

Derived Forms

mammalian (mæˈmeɪlɪən), adjective, nounmammal-like, adjective

Word Origin for mammal

C19: via New Latin from Latin mamma breast
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

Science definitions for mammal

mammal

[ măm′əl ]

Any of various warm-blooded vertebrate animals of the class Mammalia, whose young feed on milk that is produced by the mother's mammary glands. Unlike other vertebrates, mammals have a diaphragm that separates the heart and lungs from the other internal organs, red blood cells that lack a nucleus, and usually hair or fur. All mammals but the monotremes bear live young. Mammals include rodents, cats, dogs, ungulates, cetaceans, and apes.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.