woodchuck
Woodchuck (noun) means a large North American ground squirrel, also called a groundhog, known for digging burrows. Example: “A woodchuck had dug a burrow right under the garden shed.”
How to use woodchuck
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAnother common name for the groundhog, the burrowing rodent famous from Groundhog Day.
Word forms
- Plural
- woodchucks
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
A _____ had dug a burrow right under the garden shed.
Etymology
A reshaping of an Algonquian word (related to Cree and Ojibwe terms for "fisher," a different animal) that was later mistakenly attached to the groundhog because it sounded similar.