Packrat

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  packrat \packrat\, pack rat \pack rat\n.
     1. Any of several bushy-tailed rodents of the genus {Neotoma}
        of western North America, especially {Neotoma cinerea},
        which hoard food and other objects in their nests.
  
     Syn: trade rat, bushytail woodrat, {Neotoma cinerea}.


          [WordNet 1.5]
  
     2. A person who habitually saves items, even those unlikely
        to be useful. [Informal]
        [PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  packrat
       n 1: a collector of miscellaneous useless objects
       2: any of several bushy-tailed rodents of the genus Neotoma of
          western North America; hoards food and other objects [syn:
           {pack rat}, {trade rat}, {bushytail woodrat}, {Neotoma
          cinerea}]