marmot Meaning, Definition & Usage

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

WordNet

Mar"mot noun
Etymology
It. marmotta, marmotto, prob. fr. L. mus montanus, or mus montis, lit., mountain mouse or rat. See Mountain, and Mouse.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) 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. related to the woodchuck, (groundhog) but usually used only for the western variety
  2. Any one of several species of ground squirrels or gophers of the genus Spermophilus; also, the prairie dog.

Webster 1913