muskrat
See also: musk-rat
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editPerhaps so called for its musky odour and because it resembles a rat, or perhaps called by an Algonquian name like the Abenaki moskwas, with the spelling altered under the influence of the English words musk and rat.
Pronunciation
edit- IPA(key): /ˈmʌskɹæt/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Noun
editmuskrat (plural muskrats)
- A large aquatic rodent of species Ondatra zibethicus.
- 1865, Henry David Thoreau, Cape Cod, Chapter IX. "The Sea and the Desert", page 187.
- He also said that minks, muskrats, foxes, coons, and wild mice were found there, but no squirrels.
- 1865, Henry David Thoreau, Cape Cod, Chapter IX. "The Sea and the Desert", page 187.
- Any of several shrews in the family Soricidae, especially an Asian house shrew (Suncus murinus).
Synonyms
edit- ondatra (dialectal), 'rat (chiefly informal), rat (chiefly informal)
- (Ondatra zibethicus): musquash
- (Suncus murinus): Asian house shrew, musk shrew
Derived terms
editTranslations
editOndatra zibethicus
|
Suncus murinus
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
References
edit- muskrat on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Asian house shrew on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Ondatra zibethicus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
- Suncus murinus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
- Ondatra zibethicus on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons