fox squirrel
1
5.7
- noun
- /fɑks ˈskwɪrəl/
- Specialized
:
ardilla zorro
- Delmarva fox squirrel
Examples
-
My daddy had shot the squirrels just days before, fox squirrels.
Fiction book (1995) -
In Louisiana, there are two species permanently black in the southern parts, as well as the fox squirrel, which in about half the specimens are found black, and the remainder reddish.
Blog text (32) -
I spotted a fox squirrel with its bushy tail climbing up an oak tree.
-
The fox squirrel gathered nuts in the fall to store for winter.
-
In our backyard, a fox squirrel darted across the grass, chasing after a bird.
Synonyms
A large tree squirrel from eastern North America with a bushy tail
A large tree squirrel with a bushy tail and reddish gray fur that lives in the eastern United States
A large squirrel that lives in trees in eastern and central United States often called a fox squirrel
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a transparent compound where 'fox' modifies 'squirrel' to indicate a type of squirrel with fox-like qualities (e.g., reddish colour or larger size). The meaning — a particular kind of squirrel — is directly derivable from the constituents and follows a common cross-linguistic naming pattern, so a B1 learner who knows 'fox' and 'squirrel' will understand it.
Etymology
Fox squirrel is named because this large squirrel has reddish fur and a very bushy tail that remind people of a fox. So the name means 'a large squirrel with reddish, fox-like fur that lives in trees'.