hamster

[ ham-ster ]

noun

1. any of several short-tailed, stout-bodied, burrowing rodents, as Cricetus cricetus, of Europe and Asia, having large cheek pouches.

hamster

/ ˈhæmstə /

noun

1. any Eurasian burrowing rodent of the tribe Cricetini, such as Mesocricetus auratus ( golden hamster ), having a stocky body, short tail, and cheek pouches: family Cricetidae. They are popular pets

Word History and Origins

Origin of hamster¹

1600–10; < German; compare Old High German hamastro, Old Saxon hamstra weevil

Word History and Origins

Origin of hamster¹

C17: from German, from Old High German hamustro, of Slavic origin

Example Sentences

"They are someone who has a dog , a cat or a hamster... and the thought of giving them away forever is too much," she added.

From BBC

She reported Metson to the police for killing her pet hamsters and puppy.

From BBC

When circus-goers witness acts like a triple somersault on the trapeze or spinning in a human hamster wheel without a harness, they see a fleeting moment that is said to have divine impact.

From Los Angeles Times

It's just the same toxic perpetual hamster wheel showcasing male hip-hop artists do not care about the abuse against women unless it benefits them or is used to cut someone else down.

From Salon

The listicle included odd but innocuous lines like: “My hamster ate its babies last night,” overheard in a hallway.

From Los Angeles Times

More About Hamster

Where does the word hamster come from?

The name for those adorable, fluffy, little chipmunk-cheeked rodents known as hamsters hails from German. Hamster was borrowed directly from the German Hamster in the early 1600s.

We consider hamsters as the hipsters of the rodent world. Just because we can. For the sheer fun of wordplay. Alas, the -ster suffix in hipster is unrelated to the letters -ster in hamster.

Now that you know how hamsters got their name, why not find out how some of our other most beloved pets got theirs in the slideshow: “Where Do The Words For Our Pets Come From?”

Did you know … ?

While there are nearly 20 species of hamsters, the one most commonly kept as pets is the Syrian hamster, also known as the golden hamster.

Incredibly, Syrian hamsters kept as pets today trace their ancestry—um, “hamcestry”?—back to a single female wild hamster that was caught in Aleppo, Syria, in 1930, which was then bred and spread around the world.