gerbil
/ˈdʒəːbɪl
/noun
A burrowing mouse-like rodent that is specially adapted to living in arid conditions, found in Africa and Asia.
- Subfamily Gerbillinae, family Muridae: several genera, in particular Gerbillus; the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) is popular as a pet.
- While most of us are all too willing to cuddle guinea pigs, rabbits, gerbils, pet mice and even ferrets, brown rats produce a reaction of almost universal revulsion.
- At school, our classroom had a small rodent zoo consisting of two rabbits, three hamsters, a litter of baby gerbils and a guinea pig.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from French gerbille, from modern Latin gerbillus, diminutive of gerboa (see jerboa).
- refractility
- refracting angle
- refracting telescope
- refraction
- refractional
- refraction circle
- refraction error
- refraction index
- refractionist
- refraction profiling
- refraction shooting
- refractious
- refractive
- refractive error
- refractive index
- refractively
- refractiveness
- refractive power
- refractometer
- refractometric
- refractometrically
- refractometry
- refractor
- refractorily
- refractoriness