What is the definition of guinea pig?

Answer 1

There are four common definitions for the word guinea.

1. a former British gold coin worth 21 shillings.

2. a West African bird having dark plumage mottled with white; native to Africa but raised for food in many parts of the world. (guinea fowl)

3. (proper noun) a republic in West Africa on the Atlantic coast; achieved independence from France in 1958.

4. (slang) offensive term for a person of Italian descent.

Answer 2

a short-eared, tailless rodent of the genus Cavia,usuallywhite, black, and tawny, commonly regarded as thedomesticated form of one of the South American wild speciesof cavy: often used in scientific experiments or kept as a pet.

Answer 3

Guinea is a country in West Africa. However this animal originated in South America. It is possible that the name of Guinea got mixed up with Guiana (which is in South America). Or it is possible that, when the animal was introduced to England or North America someone used the name Guinea because the though it was appropriate for this new import from a faraway and strange place.

Answer 4

a rodent is a kind of guinea pig