Mammal

Pronunciation

• GenAm IPA: /ˈmæmÉ™l/
• Hyphenation: mam + mal

Origin

Modern Latin Mammalia, coined 1758 by Linnaeus for the class of mammals, from neuter plural of Late Latin mammalis ("of the breast"), from Latin mamma ("breast"), perhaps cognate with mamma (mother).

Full definition of mammal

Noun

1. An animal of the class Mammalia, characterized by being warm-blooded, having hair and feeding milk to its young.
2. (paleontology) A vertebrate with three bones in the inner ear and one in the jaw.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

• mammalian
• mammality
• mammalogy

Related terms

• mammarial
• mammary