chipmunk
Meaning
Synonyms
ground-squirrel
Tamias striatus
striped squirrel
striped ground squirrel
Translations
Frequency
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈt͡ʃɪp.mʌŋk/
Etymology
1832; alteration (influenced by chipping squirrel) of earlier chitmunk, from older Ojibwe ačitamo˙nˀ (“squirrels”) (modern ajidamoo), literally ‘those who descend headlong’, from ačit- (“headfirst, face-down”) (compare modern ajijibizo (“he falls headfirst”), ajidagoojin (“he hangs upside down”)). The English verb developed due to the high-pitched voices of the American puppet and cartoon chipmunks in the group Alvin and the Chipmunks, who later starred in a popular children's TV show in the 1980s.
Notes
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