marmot

IPA/ˈmɑːmət/
IPA/ˈmɑːrmət/

marmot — noun

  • marmotsingular
  • marmotsplural

1. a heavy, ground-dwelling rodent with thick fur, short legs, and a bushy tail, re

1.nounC2
Definition

a heavy, ground-dwelling rodent with thick fur, short legs, and a bushy tail, related to the squirrel; it digs burrows in mountain meadows across Europe, in much of North America, and through parts of Asia, and sleeps right through the winter

Example

Imran spotted a marmot sunning itself on a flat rock above the trail.

typical scene: a marmot on rocks in alpine meadow

Each spring, marmots crawl out of their burrows after months of deep sleep.

collocation: marmots + burrows; topic: hibernation

Common collocations
  • alpine marmot
  • a colony of marmots
  • a marmot's burrow
  • marmot whistle
Synonyms
  • groundhog

    the North American woodchuck, which is one specific kind of marmot; commonly used in everyday American English

  • woodchuck

    another name for the groundhog; same animal, more rural or older-sounding

Grammar Patterns

a marmot

marmots whistling/burrowing

Usage Note

Distinct from a woodchuck (groundhog) in everyday speech, although a groundhog is one species of marmot. Often heard with action verbs like 'whistle', 'burrow', or 'hibernate'.

Common Mistakes

A marmot is a kind of large mouse that lives in the mountains.
A marmot is a kind of large ground squirrel that lives in the mountains.
marmots belong to the squirrel family, not the mouse family.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Marmot is the general scientific-sounding name for any rodent in the genus Marmota, including the alpine marmot of Europe and several North American species. Groundhog and woodchuck are two everyday names for the same one species, Marmota monax, which lives in eastern North America. Groundhog is more familiar to most modern American readers, partly because of Groundhog Day; woodchuck sounds older and more rural and appears in the tongue-twister about wood chucking. When writing about animals seen in the European Alps or central Asian mountains, marmot is the right word; for a North American garden visitor, groundhog or woodchuck fits better.

marmot ↗groundhog ↗woodchuck ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • alpine marmot
  • a colony of marmots
  • marmot burrow

Prepositions

  • marmot in/on (a meadow, a rock)

Etymology

Old FrenchFrenchEnglish

Borrowed in the 17th century from French marmotte, probably from an Old French verb meaning 'to mutter' or from a regional word for a mountain mouse. The name reflects the animal's chattering and whistling calls.