Chipmunk

Origin

1832; alteration (influenced by chipping squirrel) of earlier chitmunk, from older Ojibwe ačitamo˙nˀ ("squirrels") (modern ajidamóóg), literally ‘those who descend headlong’, from ačit- ("headfirst, face-down") (compare modern ajijibizo ("he falls headfirst"), ajidagoojin ("he hangs upside down")). The verb developed due to the high-pitched voices of the chipmunks in the film Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Full definition of chipmunk

Noun

1. A squirrel-like rodent of the genus Tamias, native mainly to North America.

Synonyms

• ground squirrel, striped squirrel

Verb

1. To speed up an audio recording, especially a song, to make the voices high-pitched.