Main Entry: ger·bil

Variant(s): also ger·bille \ˈjər-bəl\

Function: noun

Etymology: French gerbille, from New Latin Gerbillus, diminutive of gerboa, jerboa jerboa

Date: 1849

: any of numerous Old World burrowing desert rodents (Gerbillus and related genera) with long hind legs adapted for leaping