muskrat

See also: musk-rat

English
Drawing of a muskrat dating from 1927

Alternative forms

Etymology

Perhaps 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
  • IPA(key): /ˈmʌskɹæt/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)

Noun

muskrat (plural muskrats)

  1. A large aquatic rodent (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.
  2. Any of several species of shrews in the family Soricidae, especially the Asian house shrew (Suncus murinus).

Synonyms

Derived terms

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References

Anagrams
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