Main Entry: animal model

Function: noun

: an animal sufficiently like humans in its anatomy, physiology, or response to a pathogen to be used in medical research in order to obtain results that can be extrapolated to human medicine ; also : a pathological or physiological condition that occurs in such an animal and is similar (as in its pathology or physiology) to a human condition <experimental allergic encephalomyelitis is a useful animal model in the study of multiple sclerosis in humans>