whistling marmot
- noun
- /ˈhwɪslɪŋ ˈmɑrmət/
- US
:
marmota silbante
- As we hiked through the alpine meadows, we spotted a whistling marmot on a rocky ledge.
Examples
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The whistling marmot warns its colony of danger with a sharp, piercing cry.
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Photographers often visit the mountains hoping to capture images of the elusive whistling marmot.
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The whistling marmot is a fascinating animal.
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You can hear the whistling marmots from miles away.
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As we hiked through the alpine meadows, we spotted a whistling marmot on a rocky ledge.
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Photographers often visit the mountains hoping to capture images of the elusive whistling marmot.
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The whistling marmot warns its colony of danger with a sharp, piercing cry.
Synonyms
8
7.2
A large animal like a big squirrel that lives in holes in mountains and sleeps all winter
1
8.1
A large ground squirrel that lives in mountains and makes a sharp high alarm call
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is fully compositional: 'whistling' functions as a modifier of 'marmot', so the meaning — a marmot that whistles or is known for a whistling call — is directly derivable from the constituent meanings. This follows a common adjective+ noun pattern (cross-linguistically familiar) and involves no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.
Etymology
Whistling marmot gets its name from the loud, high whistle the animal makes when it sees danger. Picture a furry marmot sitting on a rock and giving a sharp whistle to warn the others, so the name means 'a large mountain marmot known for its sharp warning call'.