jird

English

Meriones crassus, Sundevall's jird

Etymology

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Probably from Arabic جُرَذ (juraḏ, “a rat”) in a vulgar pronunciation.

Noun

jird (plural jirds)

1. Any of various agricultural pest rodents of genus Meriones or rodents of certain species in the genera Sekeetamys, Brachiones, and sometimes Pachyuromys.
   • 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 96:

     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.

   • 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.

   • 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:

     Escherichia coli has been isolated from jirds that have died of septicemia.

Translations

any of various rodents

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 沙鼠 (shāshǔ)

• Finnish: jirdi
• Kazakh: құмтышқан (qūmtyşqan)
• Korean: 메리오네스속 (merioneseusok)

See also

• gerbil
• jerboa