How do you pronounce gerbil?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɝbl̩/.

gerbil

/ˈd͡ʒɝbl̩/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.44 in modern English

Syllables: ger-bil
IPA: /ˈd͡ʒɝbl̩/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A member of one of several species of small, jumping, mouselike rodents of the subfamily Gerbillinae, native to Africa, India, and Southern Europe.

verb

To rotate inside a monowheel or similar apparatus due to sudden acceleration or braking.

Intransitive verb

verb

To insert a small animal (typically a gerbil, supposedly) into one's rectum (a sexual practice in urban myth).

Intransitive verb; Slang

Etymology

From French gerbille, from Latin gerbo, from Arabic جَرْبُوع (jarbūʕ) or يَرْبُوع (yarbūʕ, “jerboa”). Doublet of jerboa.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: gerbille, gerbo, جَرْبُوع

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈd͡ʒɝbl̩/
British English: /ˈdʒɜːbl̩/

Usage

Inflected Forms

gerbils (plural) gerbille (alternative, dated) jerbil (alternative, dated) gerbill (alternative, obsolete) gerbils (present, singular) gerbiling (US, participle) gerbilling (UK, participle) gerbiled (US, participle) gerbiled (US, past) gerbilled (UK, participle) gerbilled (UK, past)

Derived Forms

antigerbil gerbilarium gerbilectomy

Phrases

Anderson's gerbil black-tailed gerbil Boehm's gerbil Burton's gerbil bushy-tailed hairy-footed gerbil Cape short-eared gerbil Cheesman's gerbil dune hairy-footed gerbil

Frequently Paired Words

guinea pig hamster jerboa jird mouse rat

Synonyms

gerbille

Homonyms

Dyirbal

Rhymes With

verbal non-verbal herbal burble dyirbal wirble