raccoon

/rə'ku:n/ Cách viết khác : (raccoon) /rə'ku:n/

Thân thiện

A raccoon washes its food in a stream at dusk.

Definition

Noun: 1. A medium-sized, omnivorous, nocturnal mammal native to North and Central America. It is characterized by a distinctive black "mask" of fur around its eyes, a ringed tail, and dexterous front paws. Its scientific name is Procyon lotor. 2. The thick, grayish-brown fur of this animal, used historically in clothing.

Examples

• Noun (Animal):
  • The raccoon rummaged through the trash cans looking for food.
  • We saw a family of raccoons living in the hollow tree.
• Noun (Fur):
  • The old coat was trimmed with raccoon.

Advanced Usage

• "To wash like a raccoon": This phrase references the species name , which means "washer," from the animal's habit of dunking its food in water. It is sometimes used to describe someone who handles or cleans something meticulously with their hands.
  • He examined the artifact, washing it like a raccoon to remove every speck of dirt.

Variants and Related Words

• Common Spelling Variant: Racoon (less common).
• Procyonidae: (n) The biological family to which raccoons belong, which also includes coatis, kinkajous, and olingos.
• Raccoon dog: (n) A separate species () native to East Asia, not closely related to the true raccoon but named for its facial resemblance.

Synonyms

• For the animal: coon (informal, but can be considered offensive; use with caution).
• For the fur: pelts, hide.

Related Phrases

• Raccoon eyes: A term for dark circles or bruising around the eyes, resembling the animal's facial markings.
  • After the accident, he had a pair of raccoon eyes from the bruising.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an omnivorous nocturnal mammal native to North America and Central America
2. the fur of the North American racoon

Từ đồng nghĩa

• racoon