RATTUS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Rattus mean? 

• RATTUS (noun)
  The noun RATTUS has 1 sense:

1. common house rats; upper incisors have a beveled edge

  Familiarity information: RATTUS used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RATTUS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Common house rats; upper incisors have a beveled edge

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

genus Rattus; Rattus

Hypernyms ("Rattus" is a kind of...):

mammal genus (a genus of mammals)

Meronyms (members of "Rattus"):

brown rat; Norway rat; Rattus norvegicus (common domestic rat; serious pest worldwide)

black rat; Rattus rattus; roof rat (common household pest originally from Asia that has spread worldwide)

Holonyms ("Rattus" is a member of...):

family Muridae; Muridae (originally Old World rats now distributed worldwide; distinguished from the Cricetidae by typically lacking cheek pouches)

 Context examples 

Rat breeds, belonging to the species Rattus norvegicus, that are commonly used as experimental organisms.

(Common Rattus Norvegicus Strains, NCI Thesaurus)

Originally from China and now ubiquitous, Rattus norvegicus is the founder strain for many strains of rat used in biomedical research today.

(BN, Rat Strain, NCI Thesaurus)

A family of the order Rodentia containing 250 genera including the two genera Mus and Rattus, from which the laboratory inbred strains are developed.

(Muridae, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)