Norway rat

American  

noun

1. an Old World rat, Rattus norvegicus, having a grayish-brown body with whitish underparts and a long, scaly tail, now common in the U.S. in or near homes, barns, wharves, etc.

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Norway rat British  

noun

1. another name for brown rat

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Etymology

Origin of Norway rat

First recorded in 1745–55

Example Sentences

There is the misnamed Norway rat — also called the brown, sewer or wharf rat — actually a native from northern China or Mongolia.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 13, 2023

The average Norway rat can potentially jump vertically 3 feet, and horizontally 4 feet.

From Salon • Sep. 5, 2022

This species “should be a dreamy candidate for de-extinction,” McCauley says, given its close relationship with the Norway rat, a well-studied lab animal with a complete genome sequence that scientists already know how to modify.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 9, 2022

Interestingly enough the CDC does NOT list the Norway rat as a carrier of hantavirus, so the chance of catching a lethal disease in the debris cloud from above is not so bad.

From Slate • Dec. 1, 2020

They were always mischievous, but the Norway rat that came with the white man was worse.

From Austral English A dictionary of Australasian words, phrases and usages with those aboriginal-Australian and Maori words which have become incorporated in the language, and the commoner scientific words that have had their origin in Australasia by Morris, Edward Ellis