rodent

[rohd-nt] /ˈroʊd nt/

adjective

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

noun

a rodent mammal.

Origin

1825-35; < Neo-Latin Rodentia Rodentia

Related forms

rodentlike, adjective

Examples from the web for rodent

Although smaller than the rodent, the ferret has a clever way of suffocating the dogs down their holes.
These alterations in rodent behavior are thought, significantly, to mirror autism in humans.
But always that jerky twitching, always that smacking of rodent lips.
He is tall and skinny, and has a long, thin face that gives him the aspect of a friendly rodent.
Researchers use a running rodent to test their device.
Researchers often use diets containing a large proportion of energy from fat as a way to induce obesity in rodent models.
In rodent tests, scientists capped two nerves in a single animal--one motor and one sensory.
As with any rodent study, it remains to be seen whether the same thing happens in people.
Meerkats are good hunters and are sometimes tamed for use as rodent-catchers.
The team set a trap baited with fresh penguin meat in an area where trained dogs had detected concentrated rodent scent.

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

rodent-like, adjective

Word Origin

C19: from Latin rōdere to gnaw, corrode

Word Origin and History for rodent

1835 (as an adjective 1833), from Modern Latin Rodentia, the order name, from Latin rodentem (nominative rodens), present participle of rodere "to gnaw, eat away," from PIE root *red- "to scrape, scratch, gnaw" (cf. Sanskrit radati "scrapes, gnaws," radanah "tooth;" Latin radere "to scrape;" Welsh rhathu "scrape, polish"). Uncertain connection to Old English rætt (see rat (n.)).

rodent in Science

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.