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hamster

 [ham-ster]   Origin

ham·ster

   [ham-ster]
noun
any of several short-tailed, stout-bodied, burrowing rodents, as Cricetus cricetus, of Europe and Asia, having large cheek pouches.
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Origin:
1600–10; < German; compare Old High German hamastro, Old Saxon hamstra weevil
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Hamster is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
hamster (ˈhæmstə)
 
—n
any Eurasian burrowing rodent of the tribe Cricetini, such as Mesocricetus auratus (golden hamster), having a stocky body, short tail, and cheek pouches: family Cricetidae. They are popular pets
 
[C17: from German, from Old High German hamustro, of Slavic origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

hamster
1607, from Ger. Hamster, from M.H.G. hamastra "hamster," probably from O.C.S. chomestoru "hamster" (the animal is native to S.E. Europe), perhaps a blend of Rus. chomiak and Lith. staras, both meaning "hamster." The older Eng. name for it was German rat.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

hamster definition


1. (From Fairchild) A particularly slick little piece of code that does one thing well; a small, self-contained hack. The image is of a hamster happily spinning its exercise wheel.
2. A tailless mouse; that is, one with an infrared link to a receiver on the machine, as opposed to the conventional cable.
3. (UK) Any item of hardware made by Amstrad, a company famous for its cheap plastic PC-almost-compatibles.
[Jargon File]
(1995-02-16)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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