Guinea pig Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a person who is subjected to experimental or other observational procedures; someone who is an object of investigation
    case; subject.
    • the subjects for this investigation were selected randomly
    • the cases that we studied were drawn from two different communities
  2. noun stout-bodied nearly tailless domesticated cavy; often kept as a pet and widely used in research
    Cavia cobaya.

WordNet

Definitions
  1. . Prob. a mistake for Guiana pig. (a) (Zoöl.) A small Brazilian rodent (Cavia cobaya), about seven inches in length and usually of a white color, with spots of orange and black. called also cavy used commonly as an experimental animal in laboratory research. (c). metaphorically, any animal or person used in an experiment; often applied to people who are unwillingly or unknowingly subjected by authorities to policies or procedures which might cause bodily or mental harm. (b) A contemptuous sobriquet. Smollett obs in this sense now. .

Webster 1913