guinea pig
noun
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.
Informal.
the subject of any sort of experiment.
Origin of guinea pig
First recorded in 1655–65
Words nearby guinea pig
guinea fowl,
guinea grains,
guinea grass,
guinea hen,
guinea pepper,
guinea pig,
guinea worm,
guinea-bissau,
guinea-hen flower,
guinean,
guinevere
Example sentences from the Web for guinea pig
British Dictionary definitions for guinea pig
guinea pig
noun
a domesticated cavy, probably descended from Cavia porcellus, commonly kept as a pet and used in scientific experiments
a person or thing used for experimentation
Word Origin for guinea pig
C17: origin uncertain: perhaps from old use of the name
Guinea to mean any remote unknown land
Medical definitions for guinea pig
guinea pig
[ gĭn′ē ]
n.
Any of various small, short-eared domesticated rodents of the genus Cavia, having variously colored hair and no visible tail. They are widely kept as pets and often used as experimental animals.