Dictionary

guinea pig en · NOUN

Pronunciation

(Australia) audio
/ˈɡɪni pɪɡ/

Etymology

The origin of "guinea" in "guinea pig" is uncertain. One theory is that the animals, which are originally from South America, were brought to Europe by way of Guinea, leading people to think they had originated there. "Guinea" was also frequently used in English to refer generally to any far-off, unknown country, and so the name may simply be a colorful reference to the animal's foreignness. Others believe "guinea" may be an alteration of the word coney (“rabbit”); guinea pigs were referred to as "pig coneys" in Edward Topsell's 1607 treatise on quadrupeds. The figurative sense of "experimental subject" was first used in the early 20th century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, which cites examples from 1913 and 1920. It arose from the once extensive usage of guinea pigs in scientific research since at least the 17th century, which had a peak in popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries, when they were part of groundbreaking germ-theory research and of orbital space flights. Compare Italian cavia, Portuguese cobaia, and the latter's loans into French cobaye, Spanish cobaya, Romanian cobai, and Turkish kobay, all of which mean both "guinea pig" and "volunteer for lab experiment", with the latter often being the commoner sense.

Meanings

Any tailless rodent of the genus Cavia, which have short ears and superficially resemble large hamsters.
(especially) Any tailless rodent of the genus Cavia, which have short ears and superficially resemble large hamsters. ▸ A domestic guinea pig, Cavia porcellus, often kept as a pet.
(figuratively) A living experimental subject.
- He became a human guinea pig and was paid by the company.
- [H]e spoke of the unwisdom of volunteering one's services as a guinea pig. 1970, Larry Niven, Ringworld, page 115:
- My dad told me about his days in the Navy: He'd agreed to be a guinea pig in exchange for a shorter enlistment. They kept him awake for a week straight. 2008 October, Davy Rothbart, “How I caught up with dad”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 8, →ISSN, page 112:
(dated, slang) A professional company director, without time or real qualifications for the duties.
(obsolete) A midshipman in the East India service; (by extension) a low-skilled or non-proficient seaman.
- A good seaman he is... none of your guinea-pigs. 1748, Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Roderick Random, page 183:
- I promise you, to me it was no slight penance to be exposed during the whole voyage to the half sneering, satirical looks of the mates and guinea-pigs. 1779, Macintosh, Travels, quoted in Carey, Old Days, i. 73

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
guineapig		alternative	lexicographic
guinea-pig		alternative	lexicographic
Guinea-pig		alternative	lexicographic
Guinea pig		alternative	lexicographic
guinea pigs	Number=Plur		lexicographic

Deriveds

Descendants

dyinipi

popcorning · cavy boar · cavy piglet · cavy sow · wheek

Synonyms

cavy · domestic guinea pig · domestic cavy · lab rat

Translations (183)

uk морська́ сви́нка (rodent) · no prøvekanin (experimental subject) · de Versuchsperson (experimental subject) · ar خِنْزِير غِينِيَّا (rodent) · lld porcel de mar (rodent) · ms argus (rodent) · es curiel (rodent) · mk заморец (rodent) · sh заморче (rodent) · ru морска́я сви́нка (rodent) · pt porquinho-da-índia (rodent) · ro cobai (experimental subject) · dsb morska swinka (rodent) · es acure (rodent) · yue 天竺鼠 (rodent) · io kobayo (rodent) · ko 기니피그 (rodent) · yue 白老鼠 (experimental subject) · bg опитно зайче (experimental subject) · fo marsvín (rodent) · de Probandin (experimental subject) · qu quwi (rodent) · la Cavia porcellus (rodent) · fur cavie (rodent) · vi bọ (rodent) · el πειραματόζωο (experimental subject) · es cobayo (experimental subject) · hsb wujk (rodent) · es cobayo (rodent) · km កណ្ដុរស (experimental subject) · lt jūrų kiaulytė (rodent) · mk заморче (experimental subject) · sv försökskanin (experimental subject) · ms arkus (rodent) · de Meerschweinchen (rodent) · mk заморче (rodent) · sq kavie (rodent) · th หนูตะเภา (rodent) · ca conillet d'índia (rodent) · da forsøgskanin (experimental subject) · lb Mierschwéngchen (rodent) · es cavia (rodent) · it porcellino d'India (rodent) · ms tikus belanda (rodent) · nl proefkonijn (experimental subject) · es cuy (rodent) · cy mochyn cwta (rodent) · pt cobaia (rodent) · sk morské prasiatko (rodent) · cs morče (rodent) · he קביה (rodent) · es cuin (rodent) · qu haka (rodent) · ru подо́пытный кро́лик (experimental subject) · mi kinikini (rodent) · kw hogh Gyni (rodent) · nl cavia (rodent) · pt preá-da-índia (rodent) · cmn 豚鼠 (rodent) · rom balo-koro (rodent) · mn усан гахай (rodent) · de Proband (experimental subject) · es cuis (rodent) · shn ပူး (rodent) · sq gini thi (rodent) · hi गिनी पिग (rodent) · ja モルモット (experimental subject) · th หนูทดลอง (experimental subject) · tl dagang-puti (rodent) · fr cochon d'Inde (rodent) · sv marsvin (rodent) · is naggrís (rodent) · nan 竹鼠 (rodent) · el ινδικό χοιρίδιο (rodent) · my ပူး (rodent) · ms marmut (rodent) · pl świnka morska (rodent) · es cuina (rodent) · eo kobajo (rodent) · nn marsvin (rodent) · it cavia (experimental subject) · ug دېڭىز چوشقىسى (rodent) · hu kísérleti nyúl (experimental subject) · lv jūras cūciņa (rodent) · scn ciuḍḍu (rodent) · uk піддослідний кролик (experimental subject) · ca conill porquí (rodent) · pt cobaia (experimental subject) · bg мо́рско свинче́ (rodent) · sh морско прасе (rodent) · pl królik doświadczalny (experimental subject) · cmn 天竺鼠 (rodent) · id marmut (rodent) · tpw saûîasobaîa (rodent) · he חזיר ים (rodent) · sk morča (rodent) · es cuilo (rodent) · es cuye (rodent) · ast cobaya (rodent) · de Meerschwein (rodent) · sc càvia (rodent) · id tikus belanda (rodent) · be марска́я сві́нка (rodent) · es cui (rodent) · yrl sawiyá (rodent) · ja ギニーピッグ (rodent) · vo kavead (rodent) · rm portg da mar (rodent) · fr cobaye (experimental subject) · sl budra (rodent) · eu akuri (rodent) · vi chuột lang (rodent) · br razh-indez (rodent) · sh morsko prase (rodent) · nrf couochon d'la Dginnée (rodent) · ka საცდელი ცხოველი (experimental subject) · nl guinees biggetje (rodent) · cmn 實驗品 /实验品 (experimental subject) · es cuyo (rodent) · ca cobai (rodent) · ja モルモット (rodent) · nb marsvin (rodent) · qu kututu (rodent) · it cavia (rodent) · fi koekaniini (experimental subject) · fi marsu (rodent) · no forsøkskanin (experimental subject) · mk морско прасе (rodent) · da marsvin (rodent) · ko 모르모트 (experimental subject) · cmn 荷蘭豬 /荷兰猪 (rodent) · az dəniz donuzcuğu (rodent) · ga muc ghuine (rodent) · cs pokusný králík (experimental subject) · ja 天竺鼠 (rodent) · gl cobaia (experimental subject) · yi ים־חזירל (rodent) · arz فار جبلي (rodent) · he שרקן (rodent) · tr kobay (experimental subject) · cmn 小白鼠 (experimental subject) · pt rato-chino (rodent) · rom bali-kori (rodent) · tr kobay (rodent) · gl cobaia (rodent) · es conejillo de Indias (rodent) · hu tengerimalac (rodent) · sh zamorče (rodent) · km កណ្ដុរសំពៅ (rodent) · qu gowi (rodent) · pl kawia domowa (rodent) · ka საცდელი ბაჭია (experimental subject) · es curí (rodent) · sh заморац (rodent) · ro cobai (rodent) · scn purciḍḍuzzu d'Innia (rodent) · mt fenek tal-Indja (rodent) · vls Spaansche ratte (rodent) · af marmotjie (rodent) · sh zamorac (rodent) · id kelinci percobaan (experimental subject) · sq gini thi (experimental subject) · es conejillo de Indias (experimental subject) · ko 모르모트 (rodent) · hy ծովախոզուկ (rodent) · ka საცდელი ვირთხა (experimental subject) · mi kinipīki (rodent) · es cobaya (experimental subject) · fr cobaye (rodent) · fy bargemot (rodent) · sk pokusný králik (experimental subject) · fa خوکچه هندی (rodent) · ka ზღვის გოჭი (rodent) · sl morski prašiček (rodent) · es corí (rodent) · es cobaya (rodent) · smi mársa (rodent) · de Versuchskaninchen (experimental subject) · ru сви́нка (rodent) · he שפן נסיונות (experimental subject) · et merisiga (rodent) · it marà (rodent) · oc cobai (rodent)