marmot

American  

[mahr-muht] / ˈmɑr mət /

noun

1. any bushy-tailed, stocky rodent of the genus Marmota, as the woodchuck.

2. any of certain related animals, as the prairie dog

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marmot British  

/ ˈmɑːmət /

noun

1. any burrowing sciurine rodent of the genus Marmota, of Europe, Asia, and North America. They are heavily built, having short legs, a short furry tail, and coarse fur

2. another name for prairie dog

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Etymology

Origin of marmot

First recorded in 1600–10; from French marmotte, Old French, apparently noun derivative of marmotter “to mutter, murmur” (referring to the whistling noises made by such animals), equivalent to marm- imitative base denoting a variety of indistinct, continuous sounds + -ot(t)er suffix of expressive verbs (though verb is attested only in modern French ); murmur

Compare meaning

How does marmot compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• marmot vs. woodchuck
• marmot vs. prairie dog

Example Sentences

In other words, we wanted to see whether we could use this index to estimate how long a marmot would live.

From Salon • Oct. 23, 2024

The authors suggest it spilled over to humans, perhaps from a marmot, which are abundant in the Tian Shan mountain region of northern Kyrgyzstan, southern Kazakhstan, and northwestern China.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 15, 2022

Along the way, Barr became an unwitting chronicler of climate change, the amiable keeper of an analog data set that would eventually inform researchers’ papers on hummingbird migration and marmot hibernation.

From Washington Post • Nov. 27, 2021

We received a whistle’s welcome from a marmot, which had just scrambled out from under boulders to get a glimpse of the intruders, only to retreat again.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 3, 2021

The marmot glances back at me, squeals, and tears across the duff-covered ground, disappearing into the dense brush on the other bank.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz