viscacha

or viz·ca·cha

[ vi-skah-chuh ]

noun

1. a burrowing rodent, Lagostomus maximus, about the size of a groundhog, inhabiting the pampas of Paraguay and Argentina, allied to the chinchilla.
2. 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.

viscacha

/ vɪsˈkætʃə /

noun

1. a gregarious burrowing hystricomorph rodent, Lagostomus maximus, of southern South America, similar to but larger than the chinchillas: family Chinchillidae
2. mountain viscacha
   the mountain chinchilla See chinchilla

Word History and Origins

Origin of viscacha¹

1595–1605; < Spanish < Quechua wisk’acha

Word History and Origins

Origin of viscacha¹

C17: from Spanish, from Quechuan wiskácha

Example Sentences

When I saw a viscacha—a weird rodent with a rabbit body and a squirrel tail—I thought my mind was playing tricks on me.

From Wall Street Journal

These villages being on the level prairie, the viscachas are careful to build them high enough so that floods will not reach them.

From Project Gutenberg

The viscachas and chinchillas resemble the rabbit in form and color, but they have shorter ears and long rough tails.

From Project Gutenberg

There the biscacha, or viscacha—as it is indifferently spelt—plays pretty much the same part as the rabbit in our northern lands.

From Project Gutenberg

They were chinchillas and viscachas, which he had taken out of his snares set overnight.

From Project Gutenberg