packrat
UK[ˈpækræt]US[ˈpækræt]
n
A person who collects and stores things that are often useless or of little value; a hoarder.
n
A North American rodent noted for carrying off and hoarding small, shiny objects.
Morpheme Breakdown
pack
rat
pack
rat
Etymology
The word 'packrat' is a straightforward compound formed from two native English elements. The first element, 'pack', derives from Germanic roots related to bundling and carrying a load. The second element, 'rat', is a common Germanic term for the rodent. The term was first applied literally to the bushy-tailed woodrat of North America, whose behavior of collecting and hoarding miscellaneous objects in its nest is well-documented. This vivid behavioral analogy was then extended metaphorically to describe a human who compulsively accumulates and refuses to discard possessions, transferring the literal 'packing' and collecting habit from the animal to the person.
Analysis
Structure: pack + rat
pack: (Middle English, from Middle Low German/Middle Dutch 'pak') - A bundle or load for carrying.
rat: (Old English 'ræt') - A rodent.
Examples
After decades of never throwing anything away, his basement revealed he was a true packrat.
The packrat's nest was filled with bottle caps, coins, and bits of foil.
She joked about being a digital packrat, with thousands of unorganized photos and files on her hard drive.