chinchilla

[ chin-chil-uh ]

noun

1. a small, South American rodent, Chinchilla laniger, raised for its soft, silvery gray fur: now rare in the wild.
2. the fur of this animal.
3. something, as a coat or jacket, made of chinchilla fur:

   a floor-length chinchilla.

4. a thick, napped, woolen fabric for coats.

chinchilla

/ tʃɪnˈtʃɪlə /

noun

1. a small gregarious hystricomorph rodent, Chinchilla laniger, inhabiting mountainous regions of South America: family Chinchillidae. It has a stocky body and is bred in captivity for its soft silvery grey fur
2. the highly valued fur of this animal
3. mountain chinchilla or mountain viscacha
   any of several long-tailed rodents of the genus Lagidium, having coarse poor quality fur
4. a breed of rabbit with soft silver-grey fur
5. a thick napped woollen cloth used for coats

Word History and Origins

Origin of chinchilla¹

1595–1605; < Spanish, perhaps, equivalent to chinche chinch + -illa < Latin -illa diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of chinchilla¹

C17: from Spanish, perhaps from Aymara

Example Sentences

And soon, amid squeals of encouragement from my friends in the Small Pet Department, from the teeniest white mouse to the lumbering chinchilla, I left Pet-O-Rama with high hopes.

From Literature

It was a refuge for abandoned exotic pets that Floridians could no longer care for, as well as for orphaned native wildlife, including chinchillas, skunks, stingrays, lizards and alligators — around 250 of them, all told.

From New York Times

The SEC has argued that the test -- which has been applied to investments in everything from whiskey casks to chinchillas -- depends on the economic realities of transactions, not the labels applied to them.

From Reuters

“The day after she arrived,” Ms. Smith wrote, “the fur coats, including one sable, one chinchilla and a mink, were missing,” apparently stolen from the actress’s hotel room.

From New York Times

“You weren’t just dealing with moving 400 chinchillas, which is not as hard, because they’re all one species so you can find new homes more easily for them,” Peet said.

From Washington Post