Chinchilla

Pronunciation

• IPA: /tʃɪnˈtʃɪlÉ™/
• Rhymes: -ɪlÉ™

Origin

From Spanish.

Full definition of chinchilla

Noun

1. Either of two small, crepuscular rodents of the genus Chinchilla, native to the Andes, prized for their very soft fur and often kept as pets.
• 2004, Jamie Huggins, Chinchillas - from Pets to Profession, page 3,It's important to put a lot of thought into owning a chinchilla since they have a considerably long lifespan of 10 to 20 years.Chinchillas are most widely known for their exceptional fur coat.
• 2008, Jeff Wyatt, Chapter 17: Anesthesia and Analgesia in Other Mammals, Richard E. Fish, Marilyn J. Brown, Peggy J. Danneman, Alicia Z. Karas (editors), Anesthesia and Analgesia in Laboratory Animals, page 469,Chinchillas inhabit high elevations (3,000–5,000m) of the Chilean Andes Mountains. The chinchillas kept as pet or research animals in North America are all descendents of 13 founders wild caught in 1927.
• 2009, Ron E. Banks, Julie M. Sharp, Sonia D. Doss, Deborah A. Vanderford, Exotic Small Mammal Care and Husbandry, page 125,Chinchillas are long-lived rodents that are native to South America, primarily Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. The chinchilla is a hystricomorph (hedgehoglike) rodent closely related to guinea pigs, porcupines, and agoutis (Hrapkiewicz et al., 1998).
2. (uncountable) The fur of a chinchilla, used for clothing.

Derived terms

• long-tailed chinchilla ()
• short-tailed chinchilla (, formerly C. brevicaudata)