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mole rat

or mole-rat, mole·rat

[mohl-rat]
See more synonyms for mole rat on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of several eastern European burrowing rodents, especially those of the genus Spalax, having no tail, short limbs, and small eyes with permanently closed lids.
  2. bandicoot(def 2).
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Origin of mole rat

First recorded in 1775–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mole rat

Historical Examples

  • A better term for it is the Mole-rat, by which name it is familiar to zoologists.

    Bible Animals;

    J. G. Wood

  • The Mole-rat needs not to dig such deep tunnels as the true Moles, because its food does not lie so deep.

    Bible Animals;

    J. G. Wood

  • But the Mole-rat lives mostly upon roots, preferring those of a bulbous nature.

    Bible Animals;

    J. G. Wood

British Dictionary definitions for mole rat

mole rat

noun
  1. any burrowing molelike African rodent of the family Bathyergidae
  2. any similar rodent, esp any member of the genus Spalax, of Asia and North Africa: family Spalacidae
  3. the bandicoot ratSee bandicoot (def. 2)
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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