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

Old DNA only survives in small fragments, so the team used the genome of the Norway rat as a reference to piece together as much as possible of the vanished rat’s genome.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 9, 2022

To catch another sizeable rodent, the Norway rat, however, a New Yorker can go to the hardware store around the corner and purchase a glue board.

From Salon • Jan. 12, 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

The Norway rat is an animal full of contradictions, starting with its common name.

From New York Times • Jan. 31, 2017

We know the European mouse is driving before it that of New Zealand, like the Norway rat has driven before it the old English species in England.

From The Foundations of the Origin of Species Two Essays written in 1842 and 1844 by Darwin, Francis, Sir