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- Dictionaryguinea pig/ˈɡɪnɪ pɪɡ/
noun
- 1. a tailless South American rodent of the cavy family. Originally raised for food, it no longer occurs in the wild and is now typically kept as a pet or for laboratory research.
- 2. a person or thing used as a subject for experiment: "we were used as guinea pigs to test the effects of radiation on human beings"
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GUINEA PIG definition: 1. a small animal covered in fur with rounded ears, short legs, and no tail, often kept as a pet by…. Learn more.
A person or animal who is used as the subject of an experiment. What's the origin of the phrase 'Guinea-pig'? It isn’t at all clear why these cute family pets came to be given their name. They are cavies, not pigs, and they don’t originate from Guinea. Both ‘guinea’ and ‘pig’ seem to stem from simple, but mistaken, associations.
The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (/ ˈ k eɪ v i / KAY-vee), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus Cavia in the family Caviidae.
The meaning of GUINEA PIG is a small stout-bodied short-eared tailless domesticated rodent (Cavia porcellus) of South American origin often kept as a pet and widely used in biological research —called also cavy. How to use guinea pig in a sentence.
1. a short-eared, tailless rodent of the genus Cavia, usually white, black, and tawny, commonly regarded as the domesticated form of one of the South American wild species of cavy: often used in scientific experiments or kept as a pet. 2. informal. the subject of any sort of experiment.
Definition of guinea pig noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Guinea pig definition: a short-eared, tailless rodent of the genus Cavia, usually white, black, and tawny, commonly regarded as the domesticated form of one of the South American wild species of cavy. See examples of GUINEA PIG used in a sentence.
GUINEA PIG definition: 1. a small animal with fur and no tail that people sometimes keep as a pet 2. someone who is used…. Learn more.
Guinea pigs are small, soft, tailless rodents that make great pets. If you don't have room in your apartment for a dog or a cat, you might consider adopting a guinea pig. Despite their name, guinea pigs don't come from Guinea and are not related to pigs!
Guinea Pig Meaning as an Idiom. In the idiomatic world, when someone says you’re their guinea pig, it’s not a comment on your dietary habits or cuteness. They just mean you’re a test subject, trying out a new process, product, or idea before it’s rolled out on a bigger scale.
