guinea pig
See also: guineapig and guinea-pig
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editThe origin of "guinea" in "guinea pig" is uncertain. One theory is that the animals, which are originally from South America, were brought to Europe by way of Guinea, leading people to think they had originated there.[1] "Guinea" was also frequently used in English to refer generally to any far-off, unknown country, and so the name may simply be a colorful reference to the animal's foreignness.[2] Others believe "guinea" may be an alteration of the word coney (“rabbit”); guinea pigs were referred to as "pig coneys" in Edward Topsell's 1607 treatise on quadrupeds.[1]
Pronunciation
edit- IPA(key): /ˈɡɪni pɪɡ/
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
editguinea pig (plural guinea pigs)
- A tailless rodent of the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia, with short ears and larger than a hamster; the species Cavia porcellus is often kept as a pet.
- Synonym: (formal name) cavy
- A rodent of any of several species within the family Caviidae.
- (figuratively) A living experimental subject.
- Synonym: lab rat
- He became a human guinea pig and was paid by the company.
- 1970, Larry Niven, Ringworld, page 115:
- [H]e spoke of the unwisdom of volunteering one's services as a guinea pig.
- 2008 October, Davy Rothbart, “How I caught up with dad”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 8, →ISSN, page 112:
- My dad told me about his days in the Navy: He'd agreed to be a guinea pig in exchange for a shorter enlistment. They kept him awake for a week straight.
- (dated, slang) A professional company director, without time or real qualifications for the duties.
- (nautical, obsolete) A midshipman in the East India service; (by extension) a low-skilled or non-proficient seaman.
- 1748, Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Roderick Random[2], page 183:
- A good seaman he is... none of your guinea-pigs.
- 1779, Macintosh, Travels, quoted in Carey, Old Days, i. 73
- I promise you, to me it was no slight penance to be exposed during the whole voyage to the half sneering, satirical looks of the mates and guinea-pigs.
Derived terms
edit- Abyssinian guinea pig
- act as a guinea pig
- adult guinea pig
- Agouti guinea pig
- baby guinea pig
- Brazilian guinea pig, Brazilian Guinea Pig (Cavia aperea)
- Brindle guinea pig
- common guinea pig
- Crested guinea pig
- Dalmatian guinea pig
- domesticated guinea pig
- domestic guinea pig, Cavia porcellus (Cavia anolaimae, Cavia guianae)
- domestic guinea pig genome
- Dutch guinea pig
- female guinea pig
- Greater guinea pig, Greater Guinea Pig, Cavia magna
- guinea pig breed
- guinea pig breeder
- guinea pig brush
- guinea pig cage
- guinea pig care
- guinea pig diseases
- guinea pig fancier
- guinea pig fancy
- guinea pig food
- guinea pig genetics
- guinea pig genome
- guinea piggie
- guinea piggies
- guinea piggy
- guinea pig handbook
- guinea pig husbandry
- guinea pig meat
- guinea pig model
- guinea pig night
- guinea-pig productivity
- guinea pig pup
- guinea pig sounds
- guinea pigs' teeth
- guinea pig strains
- guinea pig world
- hairless guinea pig
- Himalayan guinea pig
- human guinea pig
- Intermediate guinea pig, Intermediate Guinea Pig, Cavia intermedia
- laboratory guinea pig
- long-haired guinea pig
- long-haired rosetted guinea pig
- male guinea pig
- Montane guinea pig, Montane Guinea Pig, Cavia tschudii (Cavia nana)
- parti-colored guinea pig
- Peruvian guinea pig
- Rex guinea pig
- Roan guinea pig
- rough-coated guinea pig
- Satin guinea pig
- Self guinea pig
- Sheltie guinea pig
- Shiny guinea pig, Shiny Guinea Pig, Cavia fulgida
- short-haired guinea pig
- smooth-coated guinea pig
- smooth-haired guinea pig
- Teddy guinea pig
- Texel guinea pig
- Tortoiseshell guinea pig,
- wild guinea pig
- young guinea pig
Descendants
edit- Sranan Tongo: dyinipi
Translations
editrodent
|
experimental subject
|
See also
editReferences
editCategories:
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English multiword terms
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English dated terms
- English slang
- en:Nautical
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English terms derived from toponyms
- en:Caviomorphs