Rodent
/ˈroʊ.dənt/noun
A gnawing mammal of the order Rodentia, such as a mouse, rat, or squirrel.
Did you know?Rodent comes from Latin rodens, the present participle of rodere, meaning “to gnaw,” a brutally physical root that turned into the scientific name for the entire gnawing mammal order.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*rewd-
“to gnaw, bite, or tear at”
Latin
Latin
rodere
“to gnaw, bite, or gnash”
Latin
Latin
rodens
“gnawing; gnawer”
Late Latin
Latin
rodent-
“gnawing creature”
19th Century
English
rodent
“a gnawing mammal”