Definition of: squirrel

(skwûr′əl, Brit. skwir′əl) noun
1. Any of various slender rodents (family Sciuridae) with a very long bushy tail, living mainly in trees and feeding chiefly on nuts, but occasionally on eggs and small birds. The red squirrel (Sciurus hudsonicus), the gray squirrel (S. carolinensis), and the fox squirrel (S. niger) are North American types. ♦ Collateral adjective: sciurine.
2. One of various sciuroid rodents, as the rock squirrel (Otospermophilus grammurus) of the western United States.
3. The fur of a squirrel. [<Of esquireul <LL scurellus, dim. of L sciurus <Gk. skiouros <skia shadow + oura tail]
GRAY SQUIRREL
(Body to 10 inches; tail to 8 inches)