gopher

/ˈɡəʊfə/

gopher

English Noun Top 23,371

Definition

A small burrowing rodent native to North and Central America, especially in the family Geomyidae (pocket gophers).

Etymology

Perhaps an adaptation of Cajun French gaufre (literally “honeycomb, waffle”), based on the analogy of holes in the ground to the indentations in a honeycomb or a waffle (doublet of waffle). Alternatively, from Muskogean.