gnawer

gnaw

G0166100 (nô)v. gnawed, gnaw·ing, gnaws v.tr.1. a. To bite, chew on, or erode with the teeth.b. To produce by gnawing: gnaw a hole.c. To erode or diminish gradually as if by gnawing: waves gnawing the rocky shore.2. To afflict or worry persistently: fear that constantly gnawed me.v.intr.1. To bite or chew persistently: The dog gnawed at the bone.2. To cause erosion or gradual diminishment.3. To cause persistent worry or pain: Hunger gnawed at the prisoners.

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[Middle English gnauen, from Old English gnagan.]

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gnaw′er n.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

gnawer - relatively small placental mammals having a single pair of constantly growing incisor teeth specialized for gnawingrodenteutherian, eutherian mammal, placental, placental mammal - mammals having a placenta; all mammals except monotremes and marsupialsorder Rodentia, Rodentia - small gnawing animals: porcupines; rats; mice; squirrels; marmots; beavers; gophers; voles; hamsters; guinea pigs; agoutismouse - any of numerous small rodents typically resembling diminutive rats having pointed snouts and small ears on elongated bodies with slender usually hairless tailsrat - any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mousemurine - a rodent that is a member of the family Muridaewater rat - any of various amphibious ratsNew World mouse - a variety of rodentmusquash, Ondatra zibethica, muskrat - beaver-like aquatic rodent of North America with dark glossy brown furFlorida water rat, Neofiber alleni, round-tailed muskrat - of Florida wetlandscotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus - destructive long-haired burrowing rat of southern North America and Central Americawood rat, wood-rat - any of various small short-tailed rodents of the northern hemisphere having soft fur grey above and white below with furred tails and large ears; some are hosts for Ixodes pacificus and Ixodes scapularis (Lyme disease ticks)hamster - short-tailed Old World burrowing rodent with large cheek pouchesgerbil, gerbille - small Old World burrowing desert rodent with long soft pale fur and hind legs adapted for leapinglemming - any of various short-tailed furry-footed rodents of circumpolar distributionhedgehog, porcupine - relatively large rodents with sharp erectile bristles mingled with the furjumping mouse - any of several primitive mouselike rodents with long hind legs and no cheek pouches; of woodlands of Eurasia and North Americajerboa - mouselike jumping rodentdormouse - small furry-tailed squirrel-like Old World rodent that becomes torpid in cold weathersquirrel - a kind of arboreal rodent having a long bushy tailprairie dog, prairie marmot - any of several rodents of North American prairies living in large complex burrows having a barking crymarmot - stocky coarse-furred burrowing rodent with a short bushy tail found throughout the northern hemisphere; hibernates in winterbeaver - large semiaquatic rodent with webbed hind feet and a broad flat tail; construct complex dams and underwater lodgesAplodontia rufa, mountain beaver, sewellel - bulky nocturnal burrowing rodent of uplands of the Pacific coast of North America; the most primitive living rodentcavy - short-tailed rough-haired South American rodentDolichotis patagonum, mara - hare-like rodent of the pampas of Argentinacapibara, capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris - pig-sized tailless South American amphibious rodent with partly webbed feet; largest living rodentagouti, Dasyprocta aguti - agile long-legged rabbit-sized rodent of Central America and South America and the West Indies; valued as foodCuniculus paca, paca - large burrowing rodent of South America and Central America; highly esteemed as foodmountain paca - rodent of mountains of western South Americacoypu, Myocastor coypus, nutria - aquatic South American rodent resembling a small beaver; bred for its furChinchilla laniger, chinchilla - small rodent with soft pearly grey fur; native to the Andes but bred in captivity for furmountain chinchilla, mountain viscacha - a rodent native to the mountains of Chile and Peru and now bred in captivitychinchillon, Lagostomus maximus, viscacha - gregarious burrowing rodent larger than the chinchillasabrocome, chinchilla rat, rat chinchilla - ratlike rodent with soft fur and large ears of the Andesmole rat - furry short-limbed tailless rodent resembling a true mole in habits and appearance; of eastern Europe and Middle Eastmole rat - African rodent resembling a mole in habits and appearancesand rat - small nearly naked African mole rat of desert areas

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