MARMOT

marmot

(noun) stocky coarse-furred burrowing rodent with a short bushy tail found throughout the northern hemisphere; hibernates in winter

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

marmot (plural marmots)

Any of several large ground-dwelling rodents of the genera Marmota and Cynomys in the squirrel family.

Source: Wiktionary

Mar"mot, n. Etym: [It. marmotta, marmotto, prob. fr. L. mus montanus, or mus montis, lit., mountain mouse or rat. See Mountain, and Mouse.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any rodent of the genus Arctomys. The common European marmot (A. marmotta) is about the size of a rabbit, and inhabits the higher regions of the Alps and Pyrenees. The bobac is another European species. The common American species (A. monax) is the woodchuck.

2. Any one of several species of ground squirrels or gophers of the genus Spermophilus; also, the prairie dog. Marmot squirrel (Zoöl.), a ground squirrel or spermophile.

– Prairie marmot. See Prairie dog.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition