gerbil

[ jur-buhl ]

noun

1. any of numerous small burrowing rodents of the genus Gerbillus and related genera, of Asia, Africa, and southern Russia, having long hind legs used for jumping.
2. Also called tam·a·risk ger·bil [tam, -, uh, -risk , jur, -b, uh, l]. a jird, Meriones unguiculatus, that is popular as a pet.

gerbil

/ ˈdʒɜːbɪl /

noun

1. any burrowing rodent of the subfamily Gerbillinae, inhabiting hot dry regions of Asia and Africa and having soft pale fur: family Cricetidae

Word History and Origins

Origin of gerbil¹

1840–50; < French gerbille < New Latin gerbillus, diminutive of gerbo jerboa

Word History and Origins

Origin of gerbil¹

C19: from French gerbille, from New Latin gerbillus a little jerboa

Example Sentences

Yet, if you’re like me, I imagine that these are some of the very questions that — when you’re not hurriedly running on your gerbil wheels — haunt you, troubling your thoughts and sleep.

From New York Times

Katheryn, a sophomore at Wheaton High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, recently started an organization that cares for unwanted gerbils, hamsters and mice.

From Washington Post

“You are a desirable woman. You are not a dozen gerbils in a skin casing,” the protagonist of this novel tells herself early in this strange, hilarious, important debut.

From Washington Post

A Redditor and her boyfriend, who she said “works in a museum,” “spent the whole day setting up an art gallery for our gerbil.”

From Fox News

“I just want to give people choice. You want to marry a gerbil? Marry a gerbil. God bless,” says Weindling.

From The Guardian