CHINCHILLA

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does chinchilla mean? 

• CHINCHILLA (noun)
  The noun CHINCHILLA has 3 senses:

1. the expensive silvery grey fur of the chinchilla

2. a thick twilled fabric of wool and cotton

3. small rodent with soft pearly grey fur; native to the Andes but bred in captivity for fur

  Familiarity information: CHINCHILLA used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CHINCHILLA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The expensive silvery grey fur of the chinchilla

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("chinchilla" is a kind of...):

fur; pelt (the dressed hairy coat of a mammal)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A thick twilled fabric of wool and cotton

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("chinchilla" is a kind of...):

coating (a heavy fabric suitable for coats)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Small rodent with soft pearly grey fur; native to the Andes but bred in captivity for fur

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

chinchilla; Chinchilla laniger

Hypernyms ("chinchilla" is a kind of...):

gnawer; rodent (relatively small placental mammals having a single pair of constantly growing incisor teeth specialized for gnawing)

Holonyms ("chinchilla" is a member of...):

genus Chinchilla (type genus of the Chinchillidae)

 Context examples 

The chinchillas had no detectable antibiotics in their bloodstream, suggesting that the approach could help avoid side effects and antibiotic resistance caused by oral medications.

(Developing novel ear infection treatments, NIH)

The newcomers were Colonel Lysander Stark and a short thick man with a chinchilla beard growing out of the creases of his double chin, who was introduced to me as Mr. Ferguson.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Chinchillas with an ear infection caused by Haemophilus influenza received antibiotics through one of the gels or via liquid drops placed directly onto the eardrum.

(Developing novel ear infection treatments, NIH)

They then tested if the gel could treat ear infections in chinchillas, the gold-standard animal model for studying ear infection.

(Developing novel ear infection treatments, NIH)