The name of this order of mammals comes from the Latin verb "rodere", meaning to gnaw
1. 
belonging or pertaining to the gnawing or nibbling mammals of the order 
Rodentia, ... 1835 (as an adjective 1833), from Modern Latin Rodentia, the order 
name, from Latin rodentem (nominative rodens), present participle of rodere "to 
gnaw, eat... [DOC] [TLE] Rodent Skull | Object Lessons - Natural World: Earth [PAR] A rodent is a mammal such as a mouse, rat, squirrel, hamster, chipmunk or 
beaver that gnaws ...