mammal

[ mam-uhl ]

noun

1. any vertebrate of the class Mammalia, having the body more or less covered with hair, nourishing the young with milk from the mammary glands, and, with the exception of the egg-laying monotremes, giving birth to live young.

mammal

/ ˈmæməl; mæˈmeɪlɪən /

noun

1. any animal of the Mammalia, a large class of warm-blooded vertebrates having mammary glands in the female, a thoracic diaphragm, and a four-chambered heart. The class includes the whales, carnivores, rodents, bats, primates, etc

mammal

/ măm′əl /

1. Any of various warm-blooded vertebrate animals of the class Mammalia, whose young feed on milk that is produced by the mother's mammary glands. Unlike other vertebrates, mammals have a diaphragm that separates the heart and lungs from the other internal organs, red blood cells that lack a nucleus, and usually hair or fur. All mammals but the monotremes bear live young. Mammals include rodents, cats, dogs, ungulates, cetaceans, and apes.

Derived Forms

• ˈmammal-ˌlike, adjective
• mammalian, adjectivenoun

Other Words From

• mammal·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mammal¹

First recorded in 1820–30; as singular of New Latin Mammalia, neuter plural of Late Latin mammālis “of the breast”; equivalent to mamma ² + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of mammal¹

C19: via New Latin from Latin mamma breast

Example Sentences

Up until recently, habituation -- a simple form of learning -- was deemed the exclusive domain of complex organisms with brains and nervous systems, such as worms, insects, birds, and mammals.

From Science Daily

Tiny mammals scamper out of the path of its thunderous footsteps.

From Los Angeles Times

Kawoaka told The Times in an interview that the mutations seen in this particular isolate have appeared elsewhere in past outbreaks in birds and mammals, “so in that sense, it’s a very orthodox mutation.”

From Los Angeles Times

But it does have a long history of training marine mammals for military purposes.

From BBC

This year, biologists collected samples from nine sites in California, swabbing the diminutive animals’ noses and forearms, said Katrina Smith, statewide coordinator for small mammal conservation for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• beast
• creature
• vertebrate