squirrel
n. countablen. a small animal with a big, bushy tail that lives in trees and eats nuts. You often see them running around parks or gardens.
n. a small arboreal rodent of the family Sciuridae, characterised by a long bushy tail and a diet primarily consisting of nuts and seeds.
The squirrel hid a nut in the garden.
A grey squirrel scampered across the lawn and quickly climbed the oak tree to escape the dog.
While many people view the squirrel as a charming woodland creature, urban planners often consider them pests due to their tendency to chew through electrical insulation and disrupt power grids.
From Middle English squirel, squyrelle, from Anglo-Norman esquirel and Old French escurel (whence French écureuil), from Vulgar Latin scūriolus, diminutive of scūrius, variant of Latin sciūrus, from Ancient Greek σκίουρος (skíouros, “shadow-tail”, from σκιά (skiá, “shadow”) + οὐρά (ourá, “tail”)). Displaced native Middle English acquerne, aquerne, from Old English ācweorna.