Hamster

Meaning

hamster

Concepts

hamster

hamsters

Hamster

cricetus

golden hamster

mesocricetus

hoarder

European common hamster

European hamster

black-bellied hamster

common hamster

Gender

♂️ Masculine

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈhamstɐ/

Etymology

From Middle High German hamster, from Old High German hamastra, hamustro, probably from Old East Slavic хомѣсторъ (xoměstorŭ), хомѣстаръ (xoměstarŭ). Further explained as a borrowing into Slavic from Iranian, compare Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬨𐬀𐬉𐬯𐬙𐬀𐬭- (hamaēstar-, “who throws down (in this case: corn stalks), oppresses”).
Alternatively, a compound of (1) хомѣкъ (xoměkŭ, “hamster”), from Proto-Balto-Slavic *kāmjas and of (2) Baltic *staras, but this would require irregular compound formation (*хомѣкосторъ would be expected, unless perhaps the compound was based on a word whose diminutive was хомѣкъ) and an irregular Proto-Slavic *x from Proto-Balto-Slavic *k.