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 The large rodent’s disappearance sparked a coordinated search, with teams working around the clock to find her. Alexa Robles-Gil, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2024 There’s also a mouse study that’s sometimes cited that found chewing on hard things changed the jaw structure of mice, but that study focused on rodents—not humans. Korin Miller, Health, 12 Sep. 2024 In an experimental setting, the rodents developed a new skill in 24 trials, and AlphaZero took 44 million trials to master chess. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2024 Before this year, most cases in the DRC were in children who presumably came in contact with an infected person or rodents that harbor the virus. Byjon Cohen, science.org, 5 Sep. 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 4 Oct. 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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