Small rodents with cheek pouches for storing food, commonly kept as pets. Members of the subfamily Cricetinae, known for their burrowing behavior and nocturnal activity.
From German Hamster, from Old High German hamustro, possibly related to Old Church Slavonic chomestoru meaning 'hoarder.' The word entered English in the 17th century, reflecting the animal's characteristic behavior of hoarding food in its cheek pouches.
Hamsters became popular pets only in the 1930s when a zoologist discovered a wild golden hamster family in Syria - nearly all pet golden hamsters today descend from that single find! Their name perfectly captures their defining behavior: the Germanic root literally means 'hoarder,' referring to their instinct to stuff their cheeks with food.
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