mammal

[mam-uhl]

noun

1. any vertebrate of the class Mammalia, having the body more or less covered with hair, nourishing the young with milk from the mammary glands, and, with the exception of the egg-laying monotremes, giving birth to live young.

mammal

/ ˈmæməl, mæˈmeɪlɪən /

noun

1. any animal of the Mammalia, a large class of warm-blooded vertebrates having mammary glands in the female, a thoracic diaphragm, and a four-chambered heart. The class includes the whales, carnivores, rodents, bats, primates, etc

mammal

1. Any of various warm-blooded vertebrate animals of the class Mammalia, whose young feed on milk that is produced by the mother's mammary glands. Unlike other vertebrates, mammals have a diaphragm that separates the heart and lungs from the other internal organs, red blood cells that lack a nucleus, and usually hair or fur. All mammals but the monotremes bear live young. Mammals include rodents, cats, dogs, ungulates, cetaceans, and apes.

Other Word Forms

• mammallike adjective
• mammal-like adjective
• mammalian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mammal¹

First recorded in 1820–30; as singular of New Latin Mammalia, neuter plural of Late Latin mammālis “of the breast”; equivalent to mamma ² + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of mammal¹

C19: via New Latin from Latin mamma breast

Example Sentences

They support more life than any other native tree species in the UK, hosting more than 2,300 species, including birds, mammals, insects, fungi, and lichens.

From BBC

But now scientists at the International Union for Conservation of Nature say we can welcome three more species of the world's tallest mammal.

From BBC

There has been an "exponential" increase in marine mammal strandings in waters around Scotland, scientists have found.

From BBC

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that causes kidney failure in marine mammals — notably, California sea lions, Rulli said.

From Los Angeles Times

When it comes to marine mammal populations, that premise is wrong.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• beast 
• creature 
• vertebrate