noun
common household pest originally from Asia that has spread worldwide
• Syn: ↑roof rat, ↑Rattus rattus
• Hypernyms: ↑rat
• Member Holonyms: ↑Rattus, ↑genus Rattus
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noun : a rat (Rattus rattus) of a species that infests houses
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an Old World rat, Rattus rattus, now common in the southern U.S., having a black or brown body with grayish or white underparts.
[1765-75]
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black rat noun
The smaller of the two British rats (usu brown)
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Main Entry: ↑black
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black rat,
a species of rat, darker and somewhat smaller than the common brown rat. One kind of black rat is called the roof rat.
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n. a rat with dark fur, large ears, and a long tail. It is found throughout the world, being particularly common in the tropics, and is the chief host of the plague-transmitting flea. Also called roof rat. ● Rattus rattus, family Muridae
Useful english dictionary. 2012.