rodent

noun

ro·dent | \ ˈrō-dᵊnt

Definition of rodent

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

Other Words from rodent Example Sentences Learn More About rodent

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Examples of rodent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Several types have been identified in the U.S. and each hantavirus has a primary rodent host. — Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 7 June 2021 But after 2020, when restaurant trash disappeared almost overnight and effectively created a famine among rodent packs, the rats appear to have recovered. — Willy Blackmore, Curbed, 4 June 2021 Hospital workers place diffusers in waiting rooms in a largely fruitless attempt to mask the stink of rotting rodent corpses. — BostonGlobe.com, 29 May 2021 Their study, based on rodent models, corroborates previous epidemiological evidence showing this association. — Todd Nelson, Star Tribune, 23 May 2021 Confused, the rodent squints and watches as Molly Alves, a biologist with the Tulalip Tribe, slowly wades up to him, picks him up—trap and all—and loads him into the back of her white pickup. — Lindsay Vansomeren, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 May 2021 Now neck-deep in a playoff series with the Memphis Grizzles, anybody think Quin Snyder gives a rodent’s rear end about winning a coaching award that is determined by a media vote? — Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 29 May 2021 After humanely capturing the feral felines, the rescue spays/neuters the cats and then releases them back outside to serve as environmentally friendly rodent control — and stray cat population control. — Glenn Garner, PEOPLE.com, 10 May 2021 Besides long-range rodent control work, it could be considered the ultimate long-range coyote cartridge. — Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 12 Mar. 2021

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

History and Etymology for rodent

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"

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