spermophile
spermophile · spermophiles
A terrestrial burrowing rodentA terrestrial burrowing rodent; ground squirrel.
/ˈspɜː(ɹ)məfaɪl/
Meaning
1 sensesA terrestrial burrowing rodent; ground squirrel.
any of various terrestrial burrowing rodents of Old and New Worlds; often destroy crops
Origin
From Spermophilus from σπέρμα (spérma, “seed”) + φιλέω (philéō, “love”), hence, "seed-loveFrom Spermophilus from σπέρμα (spérma, “seed”) + φιλέω (philéō, “love”), hence, "seed-lover". This genus formerly included most of the terrestrial squirrels, but all of the North American species have been split off into separate genera.
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Forms
plural: spermophiles| Singular | spermophile |
|---|---|
| Plural | spermophiles |
regular
Synonyms
4 synonymssuslikground squirrelgophersouslik
Close in meaning
- any of various terrestrial burrowing rodents of Old and New Worlds; often destroy crops:ground squirrelgopher
Word family
1 related wordsDerivedleopard-spermophile