woodchuck

Where does the word "woodchuck" come from? It comes from Cree (Algonquian) otchek, and was adopted directly into English (1600s-1700s).

Woodchuck’s story begins in Cree (Algonquian): otchek meant “a burrowing rodent.” The name for the burrowing rodent, reshaped by folk etymology into "woodchuck". It reached English by 1600s-1700s as woodchuck. Adopted and reshaped by English colonists in North America. Today, woodchuck means a burrowing rodent native to North America, also known as a groundhog.

1. Stage 1 · Cree (Algonquian) · pre-1600s otchek "a burrowing rodent", the name for the burrowing rodent, reshaped by folk etymology into "woodchuck".
2. Stage 2 · English · 1600s-1700s woodchuck "a burrowing rodent, also called a groundhog", adopted and reshaped by English colonists in North America.