jerboa
/dʒɜː(ɹ)ˈbəʊ.ə/ noun
Forms jerboas
- noun Any of a number of species comprising the family Dipodidae, native to the deserts of Asia and northern Africa, being a small, jumping rodent with a long tufted tail, very small forefeet and very long hind legs.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Arabic جَرْبُوع (jarbūʕ) or يَرْبُوع (yarbūʕ). Doublet of gerbil.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Any small jumping rodent of the genus Dipus, esp. D. Ægyptius, which is common in Egypt and the adjacent countries. The jerboas have very long hind legs and a long tail. [Written also gerboa.]
Etymology [Ar. yarb.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “jerboa”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details