rodent

noun

ro·​dent ˈrō-dᵊnt How to pronounce rodent (audio)
1
: any of an order (Rodentia) of relatively small gnawing mammals (such as a mouse, squirrel, or beaver) that have in both jaws a single pair of incisors with a chisel-shaped edge
2
: a small mammal (such as a rabbit or a shrew) other than a true rodent
rodent adjective

Examples of rodent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Middle Ages England was squirrel crazy: People kept the arboreal rodents as pets and used their furs to line and trim clothing. Bysean Cummings, science.org, 7 Aug. 2024 Brain parasite may strip away rodents' fear of predators—not just of cats CDC. Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 6 Aug. 2024 In addition, San Diego County is reporting higher activity in rodents infected with hantavirus this year, with 17 cases of western harvest mice infected with hantavirus. Shiv Sudhakar, NBC News, 23 July 2024 The rodents had taken over the encampment and were terrorizing the other residents. Jose A. Del Real, Washington Post, 19 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for rodent 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rodent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from the base of New Latin Rodentia, order name, from neuter plural of Latin rōdent-, rōdens, present participle of rōdere "to gnaw, nibble, eat away," perhaps going back to Indo-European *Hr̥h3d-, *Hreh3d-, whence also Hittite ardu- "saw (off)," Sanskrit rádati "(s/he) bites, gnaws, cuts, opens"

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rodent was in 1830

Dictionary Entries Near rodent

Cite this Entry

“Rodent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rodent. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.

Kids Definition

rodent

noun
ro·​dent ˈrōd-ᵊnt How to pronounce rodent (audio)
: any of an order of fairly small mammals (as mice, squirrels, or beavers) that have sharp front teeth used for gnawing
rodent adjective
Etymology

derived from Latin rodent-, rodens, a form of rodere "to gnaw" — related to erode

Medical Definition

rodent

noun
ro·​dent ˈrōd-ᵊnt How to pronounce rodent (audio)
: any mammal (as a mouse or rat) of the order Rodentia
rodent adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on rodent

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