different between squirrel vs squirrelly

English

Etymology

From Middle English squirel, squyrelle, from Anglo-Norman esquirel and Old French escurel (whence French écureuil), from Vulgar Latin *sc?riolus, diminutive of *sc?rius, variant of Latin sci?rus, from Ancient Greek ???????? (skíouros) "shadow-tail", from ???? (skiá, “shadow”) + ???? (ourá, “tail”).

Displaced native Middle English acquerne, aquerne, from Old English ?cweorna.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General Australian, UK) IPA^(key): /?skw??l?/, /?skw???l/
• (Canada, US) IPA^(key): /?skw?l/, /?skw?l?/, /?skw??l/
• (New England, very dated) IPA^(key): /?skw???l/
• Rhymes: -??(?)l, -???l

Noun

Wikispecies squirrel (plural squirrels)

1. Any of the rodents of the family Sciuridae distinguished by their large bushy tail.
   • 1865, Henry David Thoreau, Cape Cod, Chapter IX. "The Sea and the Desert", page 187.

     He also said that minks, muskrats, foxes, coons, and wild mice were found there, but no squirrels.

2. (Scientology, often derogatory) A person, usually a freezoner, who applies L. Ron Hubbard's technology in a heterodox manner.
3. One of the small rollers of a carding machine which work with the large cylinder.

Synonyms

• scug (provincial)

Derived terms

• gray squirrel
• purple squirrel
• red squirrel
• squirrel friend

Translations

Verb

squirrel (third-person singular simple present squirrels, present participle squirreling or (UK, less common) squirrelling, simple past and past participle squirreled or (UK, less common) squirrelled)

1. (transitive) To store in a secretive manner, to hide something for future use

Derived terms

• squirrel around
• squirrel away

English

Alternative forms

• squirrely

Etymology

squirrel +? -ly, 1925. Presumably from erratic movement of squirrels, or by analogy with nuts (“insane”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?skw?li/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?skw???li/
• Rhymes: -??(?)li, -???li

Adjective

squirrelly (comparative squirrellier or more squirrelly, superlative squirrelliest or most squirrelly)

1. resembling a squirrel
2. unpredictable or jumpy
3. eccentric

See also

• batty
• nuts
• nutty
• See also Thesaurus:insane

References

• OED 2nd edition 1989