viscacha
or viz·ca·cha
[ vi-skah-chuh ]
/ vɪˈskɑ tʃə /
noun
a burrowing rodent, Lagostomus maximus, about the size of a groundhog, inhabiting the pampas of Paraguay and Argentina, allied to the chinchilla.
Also called mountain viscacha. a related rodent of the genus Lagidium, of the Andes, about the size of a squirrel, having rabbitlike ears and a squirrellike tail.
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Origin of viscacha
1595–1605; <Spanish <Quechua wisk’acha
Words nearby viscacha
vis-à-vis, Visayan, Visayan Islands, Visby, Visc., viscacha, viscaria, viscera, viscerad, visceral, visceral anesthesia
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for viscacha
There the biscacha, or viscacha—as it is indifferently spelt—plays pretty much the same part as the rabbit in our northern lands.
Gaspar the Gaucho|Mayne ReidClosely related to the chinchilla is the viscacha, which is found very abundantly in the great pampas districts of South America.
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History|Theodore WoodIn many forms this part of the sternum is much broader than the pieces which follow; this is so with the Viscacha.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard
British Dictionary definitions for viscacha
viscacha
vizcacha
/ (vɪsˈkætʃə) /
noun
a gregarious burrowing hystricomorph rodent, Lagostomus maximus, of southern South America, similar to but larger than the chinchillas: family Chinchillidae
Word Origin for viscacha
C17: from Spanish, from Quechuan wiskácha
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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