# hamster

Pronunciation: US say "HAM-stur" /ˈhæm(p)stɚ/; UK say "HAM-stuh" /ˈhæmstə/

## Noun

1. A rodent of the golden hamster species or one of the dwarf hamster species, commonly kept as a pet or used in scientific research.
   - Simple: A small furry rodent with short legs and a stubby tail, often kept as a pet.
   - _We bought a golden hamster from the pet store last weekend._
   - _Researchers often study hamsters because they breed quickly._
2. Any of various small, stout-bodied rodents of the Old World subfamily Cricetinae, which carry food in large cheek pouches.
   - Simple: A small furry rodent from Europe and Asia, with cheek pouches for carrying food.
   - _Several hamster species across Europe and Asia hoard grain in underground chambers._
   - _The European hamster grows larger than its domesticated relatives._
3. Any of various other look-alike rodents, such as the maned hamster (Lophiomys imhausi), the mouse-like hamsters of genus Calomyscus, or the white-tailed rat (Mystromys albicaudatus).
   - Simple: A different kind of rodent that looks much like a hamster but is not one.
   - _The maned hamster coats its flank hairs with poison drawn from chewed bark._
   - _The mouse-like hamsters of Calomyscus inhabit arid mountain regions of the Middle East._

## Verb

4. To store or hide something away privately, in the manner of a hamster filling its cheek pouches with food.
   - Simple: To hide away and store something secretly, the way the animal keeps food in its cheeks.
   - _During the shortage, families began to hamster flour and sugar._
   - _He hamsters spare cables in every drawer of the house._

## Origin

Borrowed from German "Hamster," it replaced the earlier term "German rat."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/hamster (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).