jerboa

[ jer-boh-uh, jer- ]

noun
  1. any of various mouselike rodents of North Africa and Asia, as of the genera Jaculus and Dipus, with long hind legs used for jumping.

Origin of jerboa

1
1655–65; <New Latin <Arabic yarbūʿ;see gerbil

Words Nearby jerboa

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use jerboa in a sentence

  • In the leaping kangaroo and jerboa a shortening of the arms and lengthening of the legs appear.

    Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
  • Their hind-legs are much shorter than those of the jerboa, and their tail is garnished with but a few short, stiff hairs.

    The Desert World | Arthur Mangin
  • A double parallel to this modification is seen in the jerboa among the ungulates, and in the kangaroo among the marsupials.

    The Wonders of Life | Ernst Haeckel
  • This fox lives chiefly on the jerboa-rat (Gerbillus Indicus) common on sandy plains.

  • This family contains a form of rodent similar to, yet more pronounced than, the jerboa rats, of which I have already treated.

British Dictionary definitions for jerboa

jerboa

/ (dʒɜːˈbəʊə) /


noun
  1. any small nocturnal burrowing rodent of the family Dipodidae, inhabiting dry regions of Asia and N Africa, having pale sandy fur, large ears, and long hind legs specialized for jumping

Origin of jerboa

1
C17: from New Latin, from Arabic yarbū`

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012