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View synonyms for

mammal

[ mam-uhl ]

noun

  1. any vertebrate of the class Mammalia, having the body more or less covered with hair, nourishing the young with milk from the mammary glands, and, with the exception of the egg-laying monotremes, giving birth to live young.


mammal

/ ˈmæməl; mæˈmeɪlɪən /

noun

  1. any animal of the Mammalia, a large class of warm-blooded vertebrates having mammary glands in the female, a thoracic diaphragm, and a four-chambered heart. The class includes the whales, carnivores, rodents, bats, primates, etc
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

mammal

  1. Any of various warm-blooded vertebrate animals of the class Mammalia, whose young feed on milk that is produced by the mother's mammary glands. Unlike other vertebrates, mammals have a diaphragm that separates the heart and lungs from the other internal organs, red blood cells that lack a nucleus, and usually hair or fur. All mammals but the monotremes bear live young. Mammals include rodents, cats, dogs, ungulates, cetaceans, and apes.
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ-ˌ, adjective
  • mammalian, adjectivenoun
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Other Word Forms

  • m· adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mammal1

First recorded in 1820–30; as singular of New Latin Mammalia, neuter plural of Late Latin “of the breast”; equivalent to mamma 2 + -al 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mammal1

C19: via New Latin from Latin mamma breast
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Compare Meanings

How does mammal compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In a stunning reversal, that gargantuan mammal had caught me.

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Fence lizards, unlike birds or large mammals, can’t travel long distances to more suitable habitat; they tend to live in the same place.

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“This is consistent with the many other marine mammals we have seen affected by domoic acid produced by the harmful algal bloom off Southern California first detected in February,” Milstein said in a statement.

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The carnivorous mammals are classed as an invasive species in the islands, and a culling programme for stoats began in 2019.

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Naked mole rats are unique mammals in many respects.

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mammamammalian