Hamster

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈhæm(p)stɚ/

Definitions

1. A small rodent with a short tail and cheek pouches, commonly kept as a pet
2. A diminutive pet rodent recognized for its stout body and cheek pouches that stores food, typically lively and nocturnal in nature
3. A tiny furry mammal with a short tail and expandable cheek pouches often housed as a household companion

Etymology: The animal's name came into English from German, where "Hamster" was the word for this same rodent. English speakers were not reaching for a new term when they adopted it: the word displaced an earlier German-derived name, "rat," which English had been using for the creature. Because "rat" was already a broad word for a whole family of gnawing animals, the borrowed term gave the little cheek-pouched pet a name of its own. The German word is itself rooted in a Germanic root connected with the animal's habit of hoarding, the same instinct that gives the creature its cheek pouches. Those pouches let it carry grain back to its burrow in quantity, which is why the animal's name in several European languages points toward storing and gathering. The English adoption followed the German pattern closely, so the word arrived with its original sense intact.

Synonyms: rodent, pet, animal, critter, creature