Definitions for guinea pig
guinea pig

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. subject, case, guinea pignoun

   a person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation

   "the subjects for this investigation were selected randomly"; "the cases that we studied were drawn from two different communities"

2. guinea pig, Cavia cobayanoun

   stout-bodied nearly tailless domesticated cavy; often kept as a pet and widely used in research

GCIDERate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Guinea pig

   Any animal or person used in an experiment; -- also applied to people who are unwillingly or unknowingly subjected by authorities to policies or procedures which might cause bodily or mental harm.

2. Guinea pig

   (Zool.) A small Brazilian rodent (Cavia porcellus or Cavia cobaya), about seven inches in length and usually of a white color, with spots of orange and black. Called also cavy. It is the domesticated form of the wild cavy, often kept as a pet and used commonly as an experimental animal in laboratory research.

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. guinea pignoun

   A tailless rodent of the Cavia genus, with short ears and larger than a hamster; the species Cavia porcellus is often kept as a pet.

2. guinea pignoun

   A living experimental subject.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Guinea pig

   The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus Cavia in the family Caviidae. Breeders tend to use the word cavy to describe the animal, while in scientific and laboratory contexts, it is far more commonly referred to by the common name guinea pig. Despite their common name, guinea pigs are not native to Guinea, nor are they closely related biologically to pigs, and the origin of the name is still unclear. They originated in the Andes of South America. Studies based on biochemistry and hybridization suggest they are domesticated animals that do not exist naturally in the wild, descendants of a closely related cavy species such as C. tschudii. They were originally domesticated as livestock for a source of meat, and are still consumed in some parts of the world. In Western society, the guinea pig has enjoyed widespread popularity as a pet since its introduction to Europe and North America by European traders in the 16th century. Their docile nature, friendly responsiveness to handling and feeding, and the relative ease of caring for them have made guinea pigs a continuing popular choice of household pet. Organizations devoted to the competitive breeding of guinea pigs have been formed worldwide. Many specialized breeds, with varying coat colors and textures, are selected by breeders. Livestock breeds of the guinea pig play an important role in folk culture for many indigenous Andean peoples, especially as a food source. The animals are also used in folk medicine and in community religious ceremonies. They are raised for their meat and are a culinary staple in the Andes Mountains, where they are known as cuy. In the 1960s a modern breeding program was started in Peru that resulted in large breeds known as cuy mejorados (improved cuy). Marketers tried to increase consumption of the animal outside South America.Biological experimentation on domestic guinea pigs has been carried out since the 17th century. The animals were used so frequently as model organisms in the 19th and 20th centuries that the epithet guinea pig came into use to describe a human test subject. Since that time, they have been largely replaced by other rodents, such as mice and rats. However, they are still used in research, primarily as models to study such human medical conditions as juvenile diabetes, tuberculosis, scurvy (like humans, they require dietary intake of vitamin C), and pregnancy complications.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. guinea pig

   A guinea pig, also known as a cavy, is a small rodent typically kept as a pet. They are native to the Andean region of South America, but have been domesticated for hundreds of years and bred in a variety of colors and hair lengths. They have a lifespan of four to eight years and are known for their friendly and sociable nature. In a scientific context, the term 'guinea pig' is also used to refer to a test subject in an experiment.

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Guinea pig

   The guinea pig, also called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family, nor are they from Guinea. They originated in the Andes, and earlier studies based on biochemistry and hybridization suggested they are domesticated descendants of a closely related species of cavy such as Cavia aperea, C. fulgida, or C. tschudii and, therefore, do not exist naturally in the wild. Recent studies applying molecular markers, in addition to studying the skull and skeletal morphology of current and mummified animals, revealed that the ancestor is most likely Cavia tschudii. The guinea pig plays an important role in the folk culture of many Indigenous South American groups, especially as a food source, but also in folk medicine and in community religious ceremonies. Since the 1960s, efforts have been made to increase consumption of the animal outside South America. In Western societies, the guinea pig has enjoyed widespread popularity as a household pet since its introduction by European traders in the 16th century. Their docile nature, their responsiveness to handling and feeding, and the relative ease of caring for them, continue to make the guinea pig a popular pet. Organizations devoted to competitive breeding of guinea pigs have been formed worldwide, and many specialized breeds of guinea pig, with varying coat colors and compositions, are cultivated by breeders.

Etymology and OriginsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Guinea Pig

   A South American rodent, somewhat resembling a pig. Its name is a corruption of Guiana pig.

Matched Categories

1. • Cavy
   • Person

How to pronounce guinea pig?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say guinea pig in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of guinea pig in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of guinea pig in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of guinea pig in a Sentence

1. Queen Victoria:

   I positively think that ladies who are always enceinte quite disgusting; it is more like a rabbit or guinea-pig than anything else and really it is not very nice.

2. R. Buckminster Fuller:

   I am the only guinea pig I have.

3. Karen Grépin:

   Hong Kong is the world’s guinea pig when it comes to omicron.

4. Daniella Greenbaum:

   I do think they haven’t quite figured out what they want from an opinion section yet, and I didn’t think it made sense to be their guinea pig any longer, given how this all went down, i have had colleagues reaching out to me telling me they disagreed with the decision to have the piece taken down and think this whole episode was handled with a lack of transparency.

5. Jooney Woodward:

   (Harriet) was like a steward, she was sort of judging the guinea pigs. And she also had her own guinea pig with her, which had red as well, i just thought that was incredibly striking. I thought, 'I've got to get a shot of that.'.

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=guinea pig
2. ^ GCIDE
   https://gcide.gnu.org.ua/?q=guinea pig
3. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Guinea_Pig
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_Pig
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=guinea pig
7. ^ Etymology and Origins
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/54657/pg54657-images.html#:~:text=guinea pig