Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Any of various tailless South American rodents of the family Caviidae, which includes the guinea pig.
- n. Any of various similar or related rodents, such as the capybara, coypu, and agouti.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A rodent of the genus Cavia or family Caviidæ. There are several species, of which the guinea-pig, C. cobaya, is the best known.
Wiktionary
- n. A guinea pig.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A rodent of the genera Cavia and Dolichotis, as the guinea pig (Cavia cobaya). Cavies are natives of South America.
WordNet 3.0
- n. short-tailed rough-haired South American rodent
Etymologies
- From New Latin Cavia, genus name, perhaps from Galibi cabiai.
Examples
“The cavy is a rodent that was domesticated in the Andes as a source of meat.”
“Might be the same one spotted a few years ago, a Patagonian cavy was seen again loose near Aiken, South Carolina.”
“Oregon teens found a Patagonian cavy running loose.”
“Robertson had served as a colonel under Stuart, the report noted, and “I was convinced of his deficiency in the qualities essential to a bold, vigorous, and successful cavy commander in the ever-changing and complicated and extended operations of campaign.””
“Almost the same as -- you talk about the cavy, same type of back legs and front legs almost.”
“They imagined that Magellan, when talking of an animal under the name of "conejos" in the Strait of Magellan, referred to this species; but he was alluding to a small cavy, which to this day is thus called by the Spaniards.”
“KING: And our next animal in this segment is a cavy.”
“This is a Patagonian cavy, which I've never had on.”
“The cavy multiplies rapidly, though not at the rate that folk literature would suggest.”
“In parts of Latin America, cavy breeds much larger than those common in the United States are used.”
Lists
‘cavy’ hasn't been added to any lists yet.
treeseed The cavy (also commonly called the Guinea pig after its scientific name) is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not pigs, nor do they come from Guinea. They are native to the Andes, and while no longer extant in the wild, they are closely related to several species that are commonly found in the grassy plains and plateaus of the region. The guinea pig plays an important role in the folk culture of many indigenous South American groups, especially as a food source, but also in folk medicine and in community religious ceremonies. Since the 1960s, efforts have been made to increase consumption of the animal outside South America.
_Wikipedia
Feb 15, 2008