muskrat
3
5.6
- noun
- /ˈmʌs.kræt/
- US
:
nutria
- The muskrat swam gracefully through the water, searching for food among the reeds.
Examples
-
They build their dams, make their ponds... where the moose feed, the muskrats, the waterfowl.
-
Of course, the muskrat succeeds, and Wenabozho is able to rebuild the earth.
Academic text (2002) -
It's not always so easy to keep up a good muskrat supply, he explained.
Fiction book (1996) -
Under every bush is a muskrat hole or a beer can.
Fiction book (1998) -
Eight bucks for a skunk, three for a muskrat.
Fiction book (1993) -
After excavating many yards of snow, we located muskrat tunnels around the pond.
Academic text (1991) -
Vecsey notes that the animals who dive into the water to fetch some dirt usually drown, including the muskrat.
Academic text (2002) -
I cut and sprayed the willows, removed silt, and shored up holes that muskrats had riddled through the banks.
Fiction book (1990) -
During our trip to the wetlands, we spotted several muskrats building their homes along the shore.
-
The farmer noticed the muskrats causing damage to his crops as they foraged nearby.
Synonyms
A North American rodent that lives in water like a small beaver with dark brown fur
A large water animal like a small beaver with dark brown shiny fur
Compounds
A small animal like a rat that lives in Florida wetlands and has a round tail
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Muskrat comes from Native American words such as musquash that English speakers heard for the animal, and people later changed it to muskrat by linking musk ('strong smell') and rat ('small rodent'). So a muskrat is a water rodent known for a musky scent and a long, rat-like tail.