weenusk

< Algonk.; cf. Cree wénusk

DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

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a large burrowing rodent, Marmota monax, common in eastern and central Canada.

See: groundhog(def. 1)

Quotations

1754

The Wenusk, or Quebec Marmot, feeds on coarse grass.

1784

The Comparative of Furrs &c to Beaver The Standard . . . Weenusk [Skins] 2 [as] 1 [beaver].

1897

. . . the following list [shows] the catch for onr season in and about Cumberland House: . . . Otter 424, Wolverine 175, Weenisk 1.

1933

it was into one of these holes that the weenusk scuttled as I made my exit. . . .