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 costliest felines to insure were the Maine coon, one of the largest house cats, which can be prone to a type of muscle atrophy, and the chinchilla, a popular longhair, Spot Pet Insurance said.

From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2024

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

The chinchilla phenotype, cchcch, is expressed as black-tipped white fur.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

I could also name some rarer animals: chinchilla, mink, crocodile, ostrich, emu, beaver, leopard.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman