cavy

Meanings

1. 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. 2
   noun

   another name for the domestic guinea pig

   The domestic cavy needs constant access to hay and fresh water.

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.

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