mammal

noun mam·mal \ ˈma-məl \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

Definition of mammal

: any of a class (Mammalia) of warm-blooded higher vertebrates (such as placentals, marsupials, or monotremes) that nourish their young with milk secreted by mammary glands, have the skin usually more or less covered with hair, and include humans

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mammalian

play \mə-ˈmā-lē-ən, ma-\ adjective or noun

See mammal defined for English-language learners

See mammal defined for kids

Examples of mammal in a Sentence

Human beings, dogs, and cats are all mammals.

Recent Examples of mammal from the Web

The singer and father of two had a hilarious bonding moment with one of his 6-month-old twins Wednesday, spitting water into the air in an impressive imitation of the water-dwelling mammal.

— jen juneau, PEOPLE.com, "Hear Enrique Iglesias' Baby Giggle as Singer Imitates a Whale During Family Day in the Water," 4 July 2018
There are four gibbon genera alive in Asia today, including a species that is the most endangered mammal on earth.

— karen weintraub, New York Times, "Extinct Gibbon Found in Tomb of Ancient Chinese Emperor’s Grandmother," 21 June 2018
An aardvark is an odd African nocturnal mammal sometimes called an anteater.

— michael heaton, cleveland.com, "'Aardvark' is a strange beast of a movie (review)," 13 Apr. 2018
That appears to be the size at which its easiest to be a marine mammal.

— peter fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle, "Had our human ancestors taken to the sea, we would have been big and blubbery," 26 Mar. 2018
Aardvarks are nocturnal mammals native to central and southern Africa.

— cincinnati enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "Aardvark love. Baby Winsol snuggles with mom," 26 Mar. 2018
Pangolin Pangolins are the only mammal whose body is totally covered in scales.

— katherine hignett, Newsweek, "Northern White Rhinoceros: Here Are Four More Animals on The Brink," 20 Mar. 2018
The animals that caused death at the highest rate were mammals such as cats, cows, raccoons and horses.

— sean rossman, USA TODAY, "These animals are most likely to kill Americans. Hint, it's not sharks or snakes.," 9 Mar. 2018
Walk through the different habitats looking for birds, mammals, and butterflies.

— elaine rewolinski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Breathe events: Eating right, feeling well and getting moving," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mammal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of mammal

New Latin Mammalia, from Late Latin, neuter plural of mammalis of the breast, from Latin mamma breast

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1813

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, ungulate, vole

MAMMAL Defined for English Language Learners

mammal

noun

Definition of mammal for English Language Learners

: a type of animal that feeds milk to its young and that usually has hair or fur covering most of its skin

MAMMAL Defined for Kids

mammal

noun mam·mal \ ˈma-məl \

Definition of mammal for Students

: a warm-blooded animal (as a dog, mouse, bear, whale, or human being) with a backbone that feeds its young with milk produced by the mother and has skin usually more or less covered with hair