rodent

[ rohd-nt ]

/ ˈroʊd nt /

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See synonyms for rodent on Thesaurus.com

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the gnawing or nibbling mammals of the order Rodentia, including the mice, squirrels, beavers, etc.

noun

a rodent mammal.

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Origin of rodent

1825–35; <New Latin RodentiaRodentia

OTHER WORDS FROM rodent

ro·dent·like, adjective

Words nearby rodent

rod bolt, Rodchenko, rodded, Roddick, rode, rodent, Rodentia, rodenticide, rodent operative, rodent ulcer, rodeo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rodent in a sentence

Tye began using optogenetics in rodents to trace the neural circuits involved in emotion, motivation, and social behaviors.
Why do you feel lonely? Neuroscience is starting to find answers.|Amy Nordrum|September 4, 2020|MIT Technology Review
When rodents and monkeys face early-life adversity, the HPA axis gets thrown off-kilter.
Puberty can repair the brain’s stress responses after hardship early in life|Esther Landhuis|August 28, 2020|Science News
It was the rodent equivalent of a human’s nice home and family.
Puberty may reboot the brain and behaviors|Esther Landhuis|August 27, 2020|Science News For Students
Similarly, observations of rodents exposed to radiation suggest that space radiation impairs cognitive function, researchers reported in a review article in the May 2019 Life Sciences in Space Research.
What will astronauts need to survive the dangerous journey to Mars?|Maria Temming|July 15, 2020|Science News

Hungry rodents now might be forced into the open in search of meals.
Why you’re spotting more wildlife during COVID-19|Bethany Brookshire|June 8, 2020|Science News For Students
She paints the current rodent situation as more than a foul inconvenience, and one that is a particular blight on poorer areas.
Crowdsourcing NYC’s War on Rats|Kevin Zawacki|June 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Or once in a while the rodent will spread infection by biting causing a disease called, chillingly enough, rat bite fever.
Yosemite Hanta Virus: Nature Strikes Back|Kent Sepkowitz|September 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Up to 10,000 campers at Yosemite National Park may have been exposed to a deadly rodent-borne illness.
Yosemite Hanta Virus: Nature Strikes Back|Kent Sepkowitz|September 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Aëtius differentiates phagedenic and rodent ulcers and cancer.
Old-Time Makers of Medicine|James J. Walsh
Being at some distance I supposed it to be one of the rodent animals, and I fired at it.
Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests|J. J. von Tschudi
To my surprise he took a little stove from under his arm, lighted a fire, and in a few minutes had the rodent roasted to a crisp.
My Life in Many States and in Foreign Lands|George Francis Train
They were still as fast, still with the same anti-rodent disposition, but they were no longer small.
Student Body|Floyd L. Wallace
She had a shock of bright pink hair and a sharp, rodent-like face, with big sunglasses that were practically air-force goggles.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow

British Dictionary definitions for rodent

rodent

/ (ˈrəʊdənt) /

noun

any of the relatively small placental mammals that constitute the order Rodentia, having constantly growing incisor teeth specialized for gnawing. The group includes porcupines, rats, mice, squirrels, marmots, etc
(as modifier)rodent characteristics

Derived forms of rodent

rodent-like, adjective

Word Origin for rodent

C19: from Latin rōdere to gnaw, corrode

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

Scientific definitions for rodent

rodent

[ rōd′nt ]

Any of various very numerous, mostly small mammals of the order Rodentia, having large front teeth used for gnawing. The teeth grow throughout the animal's life, and are kept from getting too long by gnawing. Rodents make up about half the living species of mammals, and include rats, mice, beavers, squirrels, lemmings, shrews, and hamsters.

rodent

Origin of rodent

OTHER WORDS FROM rodent

Words nearby rodent

Words related to rodent

How to use rodent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rodent

Derived forms of rodent

Word Origin for rodent

Scientific definitions for rodent