Meaning
guinea pig
- A small tailless South American rodent kept as a pet or used in research.
- A person or animal used as a subject in an experiment.
In a sentence
Mio figlio vorrebbe una cavia come animale domestico.
My son would like a guinea pig as a pet.
Non voglio fare da cavia per questa nuova ricetta.
I don't want to be a guinea pig for this new recipe.
I ricercatori hanno testato il farmaco sulle cavie.
The researchers tested the drug on guinea pigs.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| cavia | feminine · singular |
| cavie | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Used figuratively just like in English: 'fare da cavia' means 'to serve as a guinea pig'.