hamster

Meanings

Noun

• Any of various Old-World rodent species belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae.
• Other rodents of similar appearance, such as the maned hamster or crested hamster, Lophiomys imhausi (species), mouse-like hamsters of genus Calomyscus (genus), and the white-tailed rat (Mystromys albicaudatus (species)).

Verb

• To secrete or store privately, as a hamster does with food in its cheek pouches.

Related

Similar words

• Syrian hamster

Origin

• Borrowed from German Hamster, from Middle High German hamster, from Old High German hamastra, hamustro (compare Old Saxon hamustra), probably from Old East Slavic хомѣсторъ, хомѣстаръ, compound of (1) хомѣкъ (compare Russian хомя́к, Polish chomik), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *kāmjas (compare Latvian kāmis ("hamster"), Lithuanian kãmas ("rat"), and of (2) Proto-Balto-Slavic *staras (compare Lithuanian stãras ("ground squirrel").
• Alternatively, a borrowing into Slavic from Iranian, compare Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬨𐬀𐬉𐬯𐬙𐬀𐬭-. Displaced earlier term German rat.