Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

marmot

/ˈmɑɹ.mət/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.40 in modern English

Syllables: mar-mot
IPA: /ˈmɑɹ.mət/

10

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of several large ground-dwelling rodents of the genera Marmota and Cynomys in the squirrel family.

Etymology

From Middle French marmotte, from Old French marmotte; further etymology uncertain, possibly from a Gallo-Romance base *marm- (“to mumble; to murmur”) (referring to the sound made by the marmot when eating; possibly related to Proto-Indo-European *mur- (whence murmur) and ultimately imitative; compare also French marmot and marmonner) + Middle French -otte (diminutive suffix). Akin to French marmotte, Italian marmotta, Engadin Romansh murmont, Old High German *murmento (dialectal German Murmentel, standard Murmeltier); see also Latin mūs montānus (literally “mountain rat”).

Origin

Source language: Middle French

Word Breakdown

Root: marmotte

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈmɑɹ.mət/
British English: /ˈmɑː.mət/

Inflected Forms

marmots (plural)

Phrases

Alaska marmot alpine marmot black-capped marmot bobak marmot gray marmot Himalayan marmot hoary marmot leopard marmot

Frequently Paired Words

groundhog woodchuck

Questions

How do you pronounce marmot?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɑɹ.mət/.
What does marmot mean?: Any of several large ground-dwelling rodents of the genera Marmota and Cynomys in the squirrel family.
Where does marmot come from?: It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce marmot

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “marmot”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɑɹ.mət/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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