cobaye

guinea pig

noun koh-BAY Rare

Origin: From scientific Latin 'cobaya', of South American origin

Also means

test subject

Usage Note

Cobaye is the standard word for the small rodent kept as a pet or used in laboratories. Figuratively, être le cobaye means 'to be the guinea pig' (the test subject in an experiment). The plural is regular: des cobayes.

Examples

"Le cobaye est un animal de compagnie populaire."

Natural Translation

The guinea pig is a popular pet.

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