‖ desman Zool.
(ˈdɛsmən)
[In Fr. and Ger. desman, from Sw. desman-råtta musk-rat, f. desman (Da. desmer, Icel. des-) musk.]
An aquatic insectivorous mammal, of the genus Myogale, nearly allied to the shrew-mouse, but larger; esp. M. moschata, the musk-shrew or musk-rat, which inhabits the rivers of Russia, chiefly the Volga and Don, and secretes a sort of musk. Another species (M. pyrenaica) is found in parts of the Pyrenees.
| 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1862) I. vi. i. 454 The Desman..has a long extended snout, like the shrew-mouse. 1861 Hulme tr. Moquin-Tandon ii. iii. ii. 110 The tail of the Desman of Muscovy, or Musk Rat of Russia..is sought for as a perfume. It owes its odour to a substance which is secreted by two small follicular glands placed at its base. |