Definition of "cavy" [ca•vy]

• Any of various tailless South American rodents of the family Caviidae, which includes the guinea pig. (noun)
• Any of various similar or related rodents, such as the capybara, coypu, and agouti. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The cavy is a rodent that was domesticated in the Andes as a source of meat."
• "Might be the same one spotted a few years ago, a Patagonian cavy was seen again loose near Aiken, South Carolina."
• "Oregon teens found a Patagonian cavy running loose."