What does cavie mean?
Cavie is a noun meaning a guinea pig, used mainly in Scottish and Northern English speech. The word is essentially a regional variant of "cavy," the standard English name for small tailless South American rodents of the genus Cavia, which were domesticated centuries ago and are now kept worldwide as pets. A cavie is typically a plump, short-eared animal with coarse fur and no visible tail, housed in a hutch and fed on hay, vegetables, and pellets. Because it belongs to everyday rather than formal vocabulary, cavie carries a homely, rustic connotation and appears mostly in conversation, local writing, or descriptions of country life. Readers encountering it should understand that it refers to the same familiar animal known elsewhere as the guinea pig, and that the standard spelling in general and scientific usage remains cavy.
nounA cavie is a guinea pig, especially in Scottish and Northern English dialect; it also refers more broadly to any rodent of the genus Cavia.
- A guinea pig (dialectal Scottish and Northern English).
- Any rodent belonging to the genus Cavia or related cavy-like animals.
"The children kept a cavie in a hutch at the end of the garden."
"She won first prize at the show with her well-groomed cavie."
"In parts of rural Scotland, a pet cavie was once as common as a rabbit."
Regular plural formed by adding -es after the final e-sound spelling.
"Several cavies were on display at the agricultural show."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cavie
Cavie derives from "cavy," the English name for rodents of the genus Cavia, which was adopted in the seventeenth century from French "cobaye" or directly from Spanish/Portuguese forms ultimately borrowed from an indigenous South American language (Tupi-Guarani) spoken where the animals were first encountered by Europeans. The Scottish and Northern English form "cavie" arose as a dialectal variant applied to the domesticated guinea pig. Its cognates include "cavy" itself and "cabiai," the French name for the capybara, a larger relative.
Related word forms
How cavie is actually used
Cavie is primarily a regional, informal word heard in Scotland and Northern England for what most speakers call a guinea pig. In scientific contexts the spelling "cavy" is preferred, so writers should choose "cavie" only when deliberately evoking a folksy or regional register.
Easily confused with cavie
"Cavy" is the standard scientific and general term for the South American rodent of the genus Cavia, while "cavie" is chiefly the Scottish and Northern English dialect form used for a guinea pig.