English Explanatory Dictionary

gopher

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A small burrowing rodent native to North and Central America, especially in the family Geomyidae (pocket gophers).
  2. A ground squirrel (Marmotinae spp.).
  3. A gopher tortoise (Gopherus spp.).
  4. A gopher rockfish (Sebastes carnatus).
  5. A Golang programmer.
noun
  1. Alternative spelling of gofer.
name
  1. An Internet protocol for document search and retrieval.

Pronunciation

/ˈɡəʊfə/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-gopher.wav /ˈɡoʊfɚ/

Word forms

gopher gophers gauffre

Etymology

Perhaps an adaptation of Cajun French gaufre (literally “honeycomb, waffle”), based on the analogy of holes in the ground to the indentations in a honeycomb or a waffle (doublet of waffle). Alternatively, from Muskogean.

Related words

gopher wood

Derived words

camas pocket gopher gopher ball gopherlike gopher mob gopher plant gopher snake gopher spurge pocket gopher striped gopher gopherspace phlog
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