viscacha
Americannoun
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a burrowing rodent, Lagostomus maximus, about the size of a groundhog, inhabiting the pampas of Paraguay and Argentina, allied to the chinchilla.
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Also called mountain viscacha. a related rodent of the genus Lagidium, of the Andes, about the size of a squirrel, having rabbitlike ears and a squirrellike tail.
noun
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a gregarious burrowing hystricomorph rodent, Lagostomus maximus, of southern South America, similar to but larger than the chinchillas: family Chinchillidae
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the mountain chinchilla See chinchilla
Etymology
Origin of viscacha
1595–1605; < Spanish < Quechua wisk’acha
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A poor girl got very severely burnt, and the remedy applied was a poultice of mashed ears of viscacha.
From Through Five Republics on Horseback, Being an Account of Many Wanderings in South America by Ray, G. Whitfield
The viscacha makes his home, like the rabbit, by burrowing in the ground, where he remains during daylight.
From Through Five Republics on Horseback, Being an Account of Many Wanderings in South America by Ray, G. Whitfield
In their place is the equally destructive viscacha or prairie dog—a much larger animal, probably three or four times the size, having very low, broad head, little ears, and thick, bristling whiskers.
From Through Five Republics on Horseback, Being an Account of Many Wanderings in South America by Ray, G. Whitfield
The chinchilla is a much more beautiful creature than the viscacha, and is a better-known animal, its soft and beautifully-marbled fur being an article of fashionable wear in the cities of Europe.
From The Hunters' Feast Conversations Around the Camp Fire by Reid, Mayne
With regard to the viscacha it is very interesting to note that these highly-sociable little animals not only live peaceably together in each village, but that whole villages visit each other at nights.
From Mutual Aid; a factor of evolution by Kropotkin, Petr Alekseevich, kniaz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
