noun
muskrat
MUSK-rat/ˈmʌskræt/
A semiaquatic North American rodent with a musky odor.
The muskrat rests beside the marsh with its long, flattened tail visible.
Etymology
The Algonquian name, probably Powhatan, referred to the animal’s reddish coloring. Association with the familiar words musk and rat reshaped that name into one suggestive of its smell and rodent identity.
In context
It's not a fish, not a duck. It's one of North America's most underrated ecological engineers, the muskrat.
More examples
- Muskrats feed on cattails and other wetland plants.
- The muskrat slips into a burrow along the riverbank.
- A muskrat uses its musky scent to mark its territory.
Forms
muskrat · muskrats
Similar words
- rodent
- A broader term covering muskrats, mice, squirrels, and similar mammals.