Marmot

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  marmot \mar"mot\ (m[aum]r"m[o^]t; 277), n. [It. marmotta,
     marmotto, prob. fr. L. mus montanus, or mus montis, lit.,
     mountain mouse or rat. See {Mountain}, and {Mouse}.]
     1. (Zool.) Any rodent of the genus {Marmota} (formerly
        {Arctomys}) of the subfamily Sciurinae. The common
        European marmot ({Marmota 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 ({Marmota monax}) is the
        {woodchuck} (also called {groundhog}), but the name marmot
        is usually used only for the western variety.
        [1913 Webster +PJC]
  
     2. Any one of several species of ground squirrels or gophers
        of the genus {Spermophilus}; also, the prairie dog.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Marmot squirrel} (Zool.), a ground squirrel or spermophile.
        
  
     {Prairie marmot}. See {Prairie dog}.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  marmot
       n : stocky coarse-furred burrowing rodent with a short bushy
           tail found throughout the northern hemisphere; hibernates
           in winter