Meanings
plural muskrats · alternative musk-rat
- A semiaquatic rodent of the tribe Ondatrini.
1865, Henry David Thoreau, Cape Cod, Chapter IX. "The Sea and the Desert", page 187. He also said that minks, muskrats, foxes, coons, and wild mice were found there, but no squirrels.
1 more example
Later, dozing in the lamplight, he saw muskrats everywhere. Their small supple forms slipped busily along the floor at dusk, continually perfecting their burrows. He saw them pulling soft weeds and holding juicy roots in their tiny paws to eat.
2020, Louise Erdrich, The Night Watchman, Corsair (2021), page 442 - Any of several shrews in the family Soricidae, especially an Asian house shrew (Suncus murinus).
Synonyms: Asian house shrew, musk shrew
- obsoleteA bandicoot rat.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny of several shrews in the family Soricidae, especially an Asian house shrew (Suncus murinus).
More synonyms by meaning
nounbeaver-like aquatic rodent of North America with dark glossy brown fur
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Arabic فَأْرُ المِسْك
- فَأْرُ المِسْك (faʔru l-misk)rodent
Basque arratoi musketadun
- arratoi musketadunrodent
Bulgarian ондатра
- ондатра (ondatra)rodent
Catalan rata mesquera
- rata mesquerarodent
Chinese Mandarin 麝鼠
- 麝鼠 (shèshǔ)rodent
Czech ondatra, bělozubka hnědá
- ondatrarodent
- bělozubka hnědáSuncus murinus
Danish bisamrotte
- bisamrotterodent
Dutch muskusrat
- muskusratrodent
Esperanto ondatro
- ondatrorodent
Estonian ondatra
- ondatrarodent
Finnish piisami, kyläpäästäinen
- piisamirodent
- kyläpäästäinenSuncus murinus
French rat musqué
- rat musquérodent
German Bisamratte, Moschusspitzmaus
- Bisamratterodent
- MoschusspitzmausSuncus murinus
Greek μοσχοπόντικας
- μοσχοπόντικας (moschopóntikas)rodent
Hindi छछुंदर
- छछुंदर (chachundar)Suncus murinus
Hungarian pézsmapocok
- pézsmapocokrodent
Icelandic moskusrotta, bísamrotta
- moskusrottarodent
- bísamrottarodent
Irish muscfhrancach
- muscfhrancachrodent
Italian topo muschiato
- topo muschiatorodent
Japanese マスクラット
- マスクラット (masukuratto)rodent
Korean 사향쥐
- 사향쥐 (sahyangjwi)rodent
Latvian ondatra
- ondatrarodent
Lithuanian ondatra
- ondatrarodent
Norwegian bisamrotte
- bisamrotterodent
Polish piżmak
- piżmakrodent
Portuguese ondatra
- ondatrarodent
Romanian bizam
- bizamrodent
Russian онда́тра, гига́нтская белозу́бка
- онда́тра (ondátra)rodent
- гига́нтская белозу́бка (gigántskaja belozúbka)Suncus murinus
- бу́рая му́скусная землеро́йка (búraja múskusnaja zemlerójka)Suncus murinus
- домова́я многозу́бка (domovája mnogozúbka)Suncus murinus
Slovak ondatra pižmová
- ondatra pižmovárodent
Spanish rata almizclera, rata almizclada
- rata almizclerarodent
- rata almizcladarodent
- rata almizcleñarodent
Swedish bisam, bisamråtta
- bisamrodent
- bisamråttarodent
Tamil மூஞ்சூறு
- மூஞ்சூறு (mūñcūṟu)Suncus murinus
Turkish misk sıçanı
- misk sıçanırodent
Ukrainian онда́тра
- онда́тра (ondátra)rodent
Vietnamese chuột xạ hương
- chuột xạ hươngrodent
Welsh mwsglygoden, llygoden fwsg
- mwsglygodenrodent
- llygoden fwsgrodent
Yiddish פּיזעם
- פּיזעם (pizem)rodent
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
muskrat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/muskrat
“muskrat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/muskrat. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “muskrat,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/muskrat.
Source: muskrat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.