chinchilla

American  

[chin-chil-uh] / tʃɪnˈtʃɪl ə /

noun

1. a small, South American rodent, Chinchilla laniger, raised for its soft, silvery gray fur: now rare in the wild.

2. the fur of this animal.

3. something, as a coat or jacket, made of chinchilla fur.

   a floor-length chinchilla.

4. a thick, napped, woolen fabric for coats.

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chinchilla British  

/ tʃɪnˈtʃɪlə /

noun

1. a small gregarious hystricomorph rodent, Chinchilla laniger, inhabiting mountainous regions of South America: family Chinchillidae. It has a stocky body and is bred in captivity for its soft silvery grey fur

2. the highly valued fur of this animal

3. any of several long-tailed rodents of the genus Lagidium, having coarse poor quality fur

4. a breed of rabbit with soft silver-grey fur

5. a thick napped woollen cloth used for coats

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Etymology

Origin of chinchilla

1595–1605; < Spanish, perhaps, equivalent to chinche chinch + -illa < Latin -illa diminutive suffix

Example Sentences

“The day after she arrived,” Ms. Smith wrote, “the fur coats, including one sable, one chinchilla and a mink, were missing,” apparently stolen from the actress’s hotel room.

From New York Times • Mar. 3, 2023

The scene captured on video is among the findings from an undercover investigation into conditions on Romania’s chinchilla fur farms, carried out last year by the animal welfare charity Humane Society International.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 28, 2022

TL:DR: do not lick your chinchilla while you have monkeypox.

From The Verge • Aug. 5, 2022

Perhaps the most famous ode to this mammal comes from Beyonce’s 2006 hit “Ring the Alarm,” with the opening lyric saying “she gon’ be rockin’ chinchilla coats” as a symbol of confidence and independence.

From Scientific American • Jun. 17, 2022

I’m early, as usual—partly to avoid bumping into Eddie in the hallway but also because I was hoping to hold Charles the chinchilla for a couple of minutes before class starts.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy