where did the term guinea originated
The guinea pig (or âcavyâ), a small rodent of the genus Cavia, originated in South America but is now found in cages â and on laps â throughout the world. So it isnât from Guinea (which is the name of both a country and a region in western Africa), and it isnât a pig.1) The animal was perhaps âthought to resemble the young of the Guinea Hog (Potamochoerus),â which is a river pig found in Guinea. (2) Back when the phrase âguinea pigâ was first recorded, the word âGuineaâ was often used to denote some unspecified or unknown faraway land.