woodchuck
noun
- species of squirrel; a groundhog
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈwʊd.t͡ʃʌk/
noun
Etymology: Folk-etymological adaption of Cree ocêk, otchek (“fisher”), Ojibwe ojiig (“fisher, marten”), or a similar term in a related Algonquian language, subsequently reapplied to the groundhog. An earlier form of this word, woodshock, still sometimes designates the marten. Also a doublet of wejack.
- A rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots, Marmota monax.