muskrat

== English == === Alternative forms === musk-rat === Etymology === Perhaps so called for its musky odour and because it resembles a rat, or perhaps called by an Algonquian name like the Abenaki moskwas, with the spelling altered under the influence of the English words musk and rat. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈmʌskɹæt/ === Noun === muskrat (plural muskrats) A semiaquatic rodent of the tribe Ondatrini. Synonyms: musquash (archaic), ondatra (dialectal), 'rat (clipping), rat (clipping) 1865, Henry David Thoreau, Cape Cod, Chapter IX. "The Sea and the Desert", page 187. He also said that minks, muskrats, foxes, coons, and wild mice were found there, but no squirrels. Any of several shrews in the family Soricidae, especially an Asian house shrew (Suncus murinus). Synonyms: Asian house shrew, musk shrew (obsolete) A bandicoot rat. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === muskrat on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Ondatrini on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Asian house shrew on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Ondatra zibethicus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies Suncus murinus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies Category:Ondatra zibethicus on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons === Anagrams === Muktsar, muktars