KANGAROO RAT

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does kangaroo rat mean? 

• KANGAROO RAT (noun)
  The noun KANGAROO RAT has 2 senses:

1. any of various leaping rodents of desert regions of North America and Mexico; largest members of the family Heteromyidae

2. any of several rabbit-sized ratlike Australian kangaroos

  Familiarity information: KANGAROO RAT used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• KANGAROO RAT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of various leaping rodents of desert regions of North America and Mexico; largest members of the family Heteromyidae

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

desert rat; Dipodomys phillipsii; kangaroo rat

Hypernyms ("kangaroo rat" is a kind of...):

pocket rat (any of various rodents with cheek pouches)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "kangaroo rat"):

Dipodomys ordi; Ord kangaroo rat (most widely distributed kangaroo rat: plains and mountain areas of central and western United States)

Holonyms ("kangaroo rat" is a member of...):

Dipodomys; genus Dipodomys (kangaroo rats)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Any of several rabbit-sized ratlike Australian kangaroos

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

kangaroo rat; rat kangaroo

Hypernyms ("kangaroo rat" is a kind of...):

kangaroo (any of several herbivorous leaping marsupials of Australia and New Guinea having large powerful hind legs and a long thick tail)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "kangaroo rat"):

potoroo (Australian rat kangaroos)

bettong (short-nosed rat kangaroo)

jerboa kangaroo; kangaroo jerboa (brush-tailed rat kangaroo)

Holonyms ("kangaroo rat" is a member of...):

Potoroinae; subfamily Potoroinae (rat kangaroos)