murine

American  

[myoor-ahyn, -in] / ˈmjʊər aɪn, -ɪn /

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the rodent subfamily Murinae, which includes more than 500 species of mice and rats.

   pathological studies of murine viruses;

   the detection of murine odor in the attic.

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noun

1. a murine rodent.

   No murines have played more vitally important roles in medical research than common house mice and brown rats.

murine British  

/ -rɪn, ˈmjʊəraɪn /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Muridae, an Old World family of rodents, typically having long hairless tails: includes rats and mice

2. resembling a mouse or rat

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noun

1. any animal belonging to the Muridae

murine Scientific  

/ myr′īn′ /

1. Of or relating to a rodent of the subfamily Murinae, including rats and mice.

2. Caused, transmitted, or affected by such a rodent.

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Etymology

Origin of murine

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin mūrīnus “of mice,” equivalent to mūr- (stem of mūs “mouse”) + -īnus adjective suffix; see mouse, -ine ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

murine

New Guinean woolly rats, related to the giant cloud rats of the Philippines, rank among the largest murine rodents on Earth.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2025

That doesn’t include the cost of the diseases the animals spread, such as hantavirus, murine typhus and bubonic plague, nor the mental health toll of living among them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2025

They can also help spread murine typhus and food-borne germs like salmonella.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 3, 2024

While the authors say the facial movements that followed were noticeable, anyone hoping for a comical murine grimace may be disappointed.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 2, 2020

A scientist who replaces murine model with rats and mice will use up no more space on the page and be no less scientific.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker