marmot
[ mahr-muh t ]
/ ˈmɑr mət /
noun
any bushy-tailed, stocky rodent of the genus Marmota, as the woodchuck.
any of certain related animals, as the prairie dogs.
Origin of marmot
1600–10; < French
marmotte, Old French, apparently noun derivative of
marmotter to mutter, murmur (referring to the whistling noises made by such animals), equivalent to
marm- imitative base denoting a variety of indistinct, continuous sounds (cf.
murmur) +
-ot(t)er suffix of expressive verbs (though v. is attested only in modern F)
Words nearby marmot
Example sentences from the Web for marmot
British Dictionary definitions for marmot
marmot
/ (ˈmɑːmət) /
noun
any burrowing sciurine rodent of the genus Marmota, of Europe, Asia, and North America. They are heavily built, having short legs, a short furry tail, and coarse fur
prairie marmot another name for prairie dog
Word Origin for marmot
C17: from French
marmotte, perhaps ultimately from Latin
mūr- (stem of
mūs) mouse +
montis of the mountain