rat terrier
1
5.1
- noun
- /ˈræt ˈtɛriər/
- US
:
terrier rata
- The rat terrier is known for its agility and keen hunting instincts.
- a rat terrier
Examples
-
Currently, she resides in the Midwest with her handsome husband and their energetic rat terrier.
Blog text (15) -
One of them was little rat terrier dogs; I had eight in a row that I know of, every one of them named Sandy, and the other was a love of anything that had to do with South America.
Fiction book (1999) -
Rat terriers developed out of a mix of small terrier types.
Blog text (26) -
Then the comedienne brought a little rat terrier on stage and announced that the dog was going to attack an Electrolux, and it did.
Fiction book (1991) -
The rat-terrier cocked its head at Crane and growled.
Fiction book (1999) -
Lisa took her rat terrier to the dog park to play with other small breeds.
-
As an experienced breeder, he specializes in training rat terriers for pest control.
Synonyms
How Small
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small terrier bred to hunt rats' is directly compositional from 'rat' (the prey) + 'terrier' (a small hunting dog), indicating the type and purpose of the dog. This follows a common, productive noun-noun compound pattern cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Rat terrier comes from the dog's job: a small terrier used to catch rats in barns and on farms. So today the name means 'a small, energetic dog bred to hunt rats'.