rodent

American  

[rohd-nt] / ˈroʊd nt /

adjective

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

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noun

1. a rodent mammal.

rodent British  

/ ˈrəʊdənt /

noun

1. 1. 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

   2. ( as modifier )

      rodent characteristics

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rodent Scientific  

/ rōd′nt /

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• rodent-like adjective
• rodentlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of rodent

1825–35; < New Latin Rodentia Rodentia

Example Sentences

"Leopard cats benefited from living near people, while humans were largely unaffected or even welcomed them as natural rodent controllers," she said.

From BBC

The results also align with earlier rodent studies showing that inadequate choline intake in mice can lead to obesity, metabolic problems and increased Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis.

From Science Daily

And, in the San Francisco Bay Area, burrowing rodents may be digging into entombed trash at a landfill-turned-park, unloosing explosive levels of methane.

From Los Angeles Times

To understand potential health effects, Irfan and Sanchez reviewed data from animal studies examining how neonics impact male reproductive health in rodents.

From Science Daily

The couple was on call for a small but fast-growing rodent who hissed when annoyed and cried when lonely:

From The Wall Street Journal