woodchuck

/ˈwʊd.t͡ʃʌk/

Etymology

Folk-etymological adaption of Cree ocêk, otchek (“fisher”), Ojibwe ojiig (“fisher, marten”), or a similar term in a related Algonquian language, subsequently reapplied to the groundhog. An earlier form of this word, woodshock, still sometimes designates the marten. Also a doublet of wejack.

noun

  1. A rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots, Marmota monax.