The Collaborative International Dictionary
marmot \mar"mot\ (m[aum]r"m[o^]t; 277), n. [It. marmotta, marmotto, prob. fr. L. mus montanus, or mus montis, lit., mountain mouse or rat. See Mountain, and Mouse.]
(Zo["o]l.) Any rodent of the genus Marmota (formerly Arctomys) of the subfamily Sciurinae. The common European marmot ( Marmota marmotta) is about the size of a rabbit, and inhabits the higher regions of the Alps and Pyrenees. The bobac is another European species. The common American species ( Marmota monax) is the woodchuck (also called groundhog), but the name marmot is usually used only for the western variety.
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Any one of several species of ground squirrels or gophers of the genus Spermophilus; also, the prairie dog.
Marmot squirrel (Zo["o]l.), a ground squirrel or spermophile.
Prairie marmot. See Prairie dog.