gerbil
noun /ˈdʒɜːbɪl/
/ˈdʒɜːrbɪl/
- a small desert animal like a mouse, one type of which is often kept as a petTopics Animalsc2Word Originmid 19th cent.: from French gerbille, from modern Latin gerbillus, diminutive of gerboa, from Arabic yarbū“.