spermophile
English
Etymology
From spermo- + -phile, hence, "seed-lover".
Noun
spermophile (plural spermophiles)
- A terrestrial burrowing rodent; ground squirrel.
- 1920, Thornton W. Burgess, “Striped Chipmunk and his Cousins”, in The Burgess Animal Book for Children:
- Your cousin, Seek Seek the Spermophile, sometimes called Gopher Squirrel, who lives on the open plains of the West where there are no rocks or stones. He likes best the flat, open country. He is called Spermophile because that means seed-eater, and he lives largely on seeds, especially on grain.
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French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /spɛʁ.mɔ.fil/
Audio (file)
Derived terms
Further reading
- “spermophile” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
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