Definition of 'guinea pig'
COBUILD frequency band
guinea pig
Image of guinea pig
© Photok.dk, Shutterstock
!
It seems that your browser is blocking this video content.
To access it, add this site to the exceptions or modify your security settings, then refresh this page.
Like this video? View our full video series to improve your English
You may also like
COBUILD frequency band
guinea pig in American English
Origin: prob. orig. brought to England by ships plying between England, the region of Guinea, and South America (where it originated)
1.
2. US
any person or thing used in an experiment or test
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 5th Digital Edition. Copyright © 2025 HarperCollins Publishers.
COBUILD frequency band
guinea pig in American English
noun
1.
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019 by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1655–65]COBUILD frequency band
guinea pig in British English
noun
1.
a domesticated cavy, probably descended from Cavia porcellus, commonly kept as a pet and used in scientific experiments
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C17: origin uncertain: perhaps from old use of the name Guinea to mean any remote unknown land Trends of
guinea pig
View usage over:
Source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
In other languages
guinea pig
British English: guinea pig
/ˈɡɪnɪ ˌpɪɡ/ NOUN
person If someone is used as a guinea pig in an experiment, a drug or other treatment is tested for the first time on them.
The doctor used himself as a guinea pig in his research.
- American English: guinea pig /ˈɡɪni ˌpɪɡ/ for experiment
- Arabic: حَقْل لِلتَجارِب
- Brazilian Portuguese: cobaia
- Chinese: 实验品
- Croatian: pokusni kunić
- Czech: pokusný králík
- Danish: forsøgskanin
- Dutch: proefkonijn
- European Spanish: conejillo de indias
- Finnish: koekaniini
- French: cobaye
- German: Versuchskaninchen
- Greek: πειραματόζωο μεταφορικά
- Italian: cavia
- Japanese: 実験台 for experiment
- Korean: 피험자
- Norwegian: forsøkskanin
- Polish: królik doświadczalny
- European Portuguese: cobaia
- Romanian: cobai
- Russian: подопытный кролик
- Spanish: conejillo de indias
- Swedish: försökskanin
- Thai: หนูทดลอง
- Turkish: kobay
- Ukrainian: піддослідний кролик
- Vietnamese: vật thí nghiệm
British English: guinea pig
/ˈɡɪnɪ ˌpɪɡ/ NOUN
animal A guinea pig is a small furry animal without a tail.
- American English: guinea pig /ˈɡɪni ˌpɪɡ/ rodent
- Arabic: خَنْزير غينيا
- Brazilian Portuguese: porquinho-da-Índia
- Chinese: 豚鼠
- Croatian: zamorac
- Czech: morče
- Danish: marsvin
- Dutch: cavia
- European Spanish: cobaya
- Finnish: marsu
- French: cochon d’Inde
- German: Meerschweinchen
- Greek: ινδικό χοιρίδιο
- Italian: criceto
- Japanese: モルモット 動物
- Korean: 기니피그
- Norwegian: marsvin
- Polish: świnka morska
- European Portuguese: porquinho-da-Índia
- Romanian: porcușor de Guineea
- Russian: морская свинка
- Spanish: conejillo de indias
- Swedish: marsvin
- Thai: หนูตะเภา
- Turkish: kobay faresi
- Ukrainian: морська свинка
- Vietnamese: chuột lang
