Hamster

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Hamster

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun

Pronunciation

HAM-stuh  /ˈhæmstə/

Definition

A small burrowing rodent with a stout body, short tail, and large cheek pouches for carrying food, widely kept as a pet; a person who hoards large amounts of food or other goods.

Plain meaning

A hamster is the small furry rodent commonly kept as a pet, known for its cheek pouches, wheel-running, and nocturnal habits. As a verb or noun in informal use, a hamster is someone who hoards — hamsters store food in their cheek pouches to carry it back to their burrow.

Register

Neutral and everyday in the pet animal sense. The informal verb sense — to hamster (to hoard) — is British informal, particularly associated with panic-buying behaviour. COVID-19 pandemic reporting frequently used hamster and hamstering to describe toilet paper and pasta hoarding.