muskrat

[muhsk-rat]

noun, plural musk·rats, (especially collectively) musk·rat.

a large, aquatic, North American rodent, Ondatra zibethica, having a musky odor.
its thick, light-brown fur, used for coats, for hats, as a trimming, etc.

Origin of muskrat

1680–90, Americanism; alteration, by folk etymology, of musquash

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for muskrat

Contemporary Examples of muskrat

Even in one of the earliest books, the Muskrat philosopher ends up seeing the point of things.
Tove Jansson, Queen of the Moomins
John Garth
August 9, 2014

Historical Examples of muskrat

This little creature has habits not unlike those of the muskrat.
The Meaning of Evolution
Samuel Christian Schmucker
Yes, I know all your traps, of all the sizes you use, from muskrat up to bear!
The House in the Water
Charles G. D. Roberts
As the muskrat placed the mud on the turtle's shell he died.
Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children
Mabel Powers
Ictinike wished to do just as Muskrat had done, but he was unable.
Myths and Legends of the Great Plains
Unknown
Moreover, the muskrat would have the advantage of being on familiar ground.
Followers of the Trail
Zoe Meyer

British Dictionary definitions for muskrat

muskrat

noun plural -rats or -rat

a North American beaver-like amphibious rodent, Ondatra zibethica, closely related to but larger than the voles: family Cricetidae
the brown fur of this animal
either of two closely related rodents, Ondatra obscurus or Neofiber alleni (round-tailed muskrat)

Often (informal) shortened to: musquash

Word Origin for muskrat

C17: by folk etymology, from the same source as musquash

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

Word Origin and History for muskrat

also musk-rat, 1610s, alteration (by association with musk and rat) of musquash, from Algonquian (probably Powhatan) muscascus, literally "it is red," so called for its colorings. From cognate Abenaki muskwessu comes variant form musquash (1620s).