Woodchuck Definition

wo͝odchŭk
woodchucks
noun
woodchucks
Any of several marmots of North America; esp., the common hibernating groundhog (Marmota monax) with coarse, red-brown fur.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Woodchuck

Noun

Singular:
woodchuck
Plural:
woodchucks

Origin of Woodchuck

  • From Cree ocêk, otchek (“fisher") or Ojibwe ojiig (“fisher, marten"), subsequently reapplied to the groundhog.

    From Wiktionary

  • An earlier form of this word, "woodshock", still sometimes designated the marten.

    From Wiktionary

  • By folk etymology, probably of New England Algonquian origin

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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