Word Study
rodent
CIDE DICTIONARY
- Gnawing; biting; corroding;
(Med.) applied to a destructive variety of cancer or ulcer. [1913 Webster] - Gnawing. [1913 Webster]
rodent, n.
One of the Rodentia. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
rodent, n. & adj.
--n. any mammal of the order Rodentia with strong incisors and no canine teeth, e.g. rat, mouse, squirrel, beaver, porcupine.
--adj.
1 of the order Rodentia.
2 gnawing (esp. Med. of slow-growing ulcers).
--n. any mammal of the order Rodentia with strong incisors and no canine teeth, e.g. rat, mouse, squirrel, beaver, porcupine.
--adj.
1 of the order Rodentia.
2 gnawing (esp. Med. of slow-growing ulcers).
Idiom
rodent officer Brit. an official dealing with rodent pests.
Derivative
rodential adj.
Etymology
L rodere ros- gnaw
THESAURUS
rodent
amphibian, aquatic, biped, canine, cannibal, carnivore, cosmopolite, feline, gnawer, herbivore, insectivore, invertebrate, mammal, mammalian, marsupial, marsupialian, mouselike, mousy, omnivore, primate, quadruped, ratty, reptile, rodential, ruminant, scavenger, ungulate, varmint, vermin, verminous, vertebrateFor further exploring for "rodent" in Webster Dictionary Online