cavy C2 Topic:Family & Relationships US /ˈkeɪvi/ UK /ˈkeɪvi/ See IPA manual Freq #255823 Meanings 1 noun any short-tailed South American rodent of the family Caviidae, including the wild ancestors and relatives of guinea pigs A small cavy darted from the grass into a rocky burrow. 2 noun another name for the domestic guinea pig The domestic cavy needs constant access to hay and fresh water. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · any short-tailed south... caviid 2 noun · another name for the... guinea pigdomestic cavy Word family Forms cavies Derived forms caviid Related forms Caviidaecapybaramararodent Etymology Borrowed through obsolete Portuguese cavia, a South American rodent name, from Old Tupi sauja. English naturalists generalized the name to the guinea pig family Caviidae. Topics Family & Relationships Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # cavy **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈkeɪvi/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈkeɪvi/ **Frequency rank:** 255823 ## Meanings 1. any short-tailed South American rodent of the family Caviidae, including the wild ancestors and relatives of guinea pigs 2. another name for the domestic guinea pig ## Examples - A small cavy darted from the grass into a rocky burrow. - The domestic cavy needs constant access to hay and fresh water. ## Synonyms - caviid - guinea pig ## Derived Forms - caviid ## Related Forms - Caviidae - capybara - mara - rodent ## Etymology Borrowed through obsolete Portuguese cavia, a South American rodent name, from Old Tupi sauja. English naturalists generalized the name to the guinea pig family Caviidae. ## Topics - Family & Relationships - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown