pack rat
or packrat
Also called trade rat, wood rat . a large, bushy-tailed rodent, Neotoma cinerea, of North America, noted for carrying off small articles to store in its nest.
Informal. a person who saves things that are not needed or used but that may have personal or other value.
Informal. an old prospector or guide.
Origin of pack rat
1Other definitions for pack-rat (2 of 2)
or pack·rat
to save in the manner of a pack rat: I’m looking through the stuff my grandpa pack-ratted away in the attic.
Origin of pack-rat
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for pack rat
any rat of the genus Neotoma, of W North America, having a long tail that is furry in some species: family Cricetidae: Also called: wood rat
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
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