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

Pop star CHINCHILLA, who was born in London, released her debut single Elements back in 2019.

From BBC

Citing the examples of Ms. Rousseff in Brazil, Michele Bachelet in Chile and Laura Chinchilla in Costa Rica, Ms. Piscopo said such parties “enjoy the best of both worlds,” first by reaping electoral benefits from their strong reputation going into an election.

From New York Times

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

Rather he and his twin brother John, growing up in the small rural town of Chinchilla, Australia, “were constantly doing things with our hands.”

From Los Angeles Times

Luis Redondo, the president of the Congress, defended Zelaya's election since Chinchilla's term formally ended in August.

From Reuters