Meanings
plural jirds
- Any of various agricultural pest rodents of genus Meriones or rodents of certain species in the genera Sekeetamys, Brachiones, and sometimes Pachyuromys.
1997, Harold Townson, Chapter 9: Infection of mosquitoes with filaria, J. M. Crampton, C. B. Beard, C. Louis, The Molecular Biology of Insect Disease Vectors, World Health Organization, Chapman & Hall, page 105, The jird need not be anaesthetized prior to inoculation.
2 more examples
The jirds are treated with the suspension or solution obtained by this method. Only one jird is used for each compound for the primary screen.
1982, D. A. Denham, “6: Experience with a Screen for Macrofilaricidal Activity Using Transplanted Adult Brugia pahangi in the Peritoneal Cavities of Meriones unguiculatus”, in Dawn Owen, editor, Animal Models in Parasitology, The Macmillan Press Ltd, page 96Escherichia coli has been isolated from jirds that have died of septicemia.
2012, Stephen A. Felt, Nancy L. Merrill, Fady I. Guirguis, Hussein I. Hussein, “Chapter 53: Egyptian Fat-Tailed Jird”, in Mark A. Suckow, Karla A. Stevens, Ronald P. Wilson, editors, The Laboratory Rabbit, Guinea Pig, Hamster, and Other Rodents, Elsevier (Academic Press), page 1165
Origin
- Arabicجُرَذ“a rat”
- Englishjird
Probably from Arabic جُرَذ (juraḏ, “a rat”) in a vulgar pronunciation.
More words from Arabic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 沙鼠
- 沙鼠 (shāshǔ)any of various rodents
Finnish jirdi
- jirdiany of various rodents
Hungarian versenyegér, futóegér
- versenyegérany of various rodents
- futóegérany of various rodents
Korean 메리오네스속
- 메리오네스속 (merioneseusok)any of various rodents
Polish suwak
- suwakany of various rodents
Cite this entry
jird. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jird
“jird.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jird. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jird,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jird.
Source: jird on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.