So, when you hear “squirrel,” you probably imagine a small, bushy-tailed creature darting around trees. In English, a squirrel means a small to medium-sized rodent—usually living in trees—famous for its long, furry tail and love for nuts and seeds. That’s the basic idea, and honestly, it’s what most people picture in everyday conversation.
If you keep reading, you’ll see how dictionaries define “squirrel,” how people use it in different ways, and even how it connects to similar animals like ground squirrels and marmots.
That should make it easier to spot what someone means when you come across the word in a sentence or see different types mentioned.
The English Meaning of ‘Squirrel’
Let’s look at the main sense of the word—a small, tree-dwelling rodent. You’ll also get a bit of word history and see how people use “squirrel” as both a noun and a verb.
Primary Definition and Etymology
A squirrel is a small to medium-sized rodent with a bushy tail and sharp climbing skills. Most people picture tree squirrels in parks or woods, but the Sciuridae family also includes ground squirrels and flying squirrels.
That basic animal sense matches what you’ll find in a dictionary like the Cambridge definition.
The word “squirrel” comes from Old English and Old French roots, which trace back to the Greek skíouros (σκιούρος)—meaning “shadow-tail” or “tail that provides shade.” Over time, it shifted through Middle English and Old French forms like écureuil, finally landing on “squirrel” in modern English.
You might run into rare spellings like squirel or escurel in old texts. Sometimes, you’ll see verb or adjective forms: squirrelled, squirreling, squirrel-like, and squirrelish.
A few key facts:
- Family: Sciuridae (sciurid)
- Typical features: bushy tail, strong back legs, sharp claws
- Etymology path: Greek skíouros → Old French écureuil → Middle English → modern English
Common Usage as a Noun
When people use “squirrel” as a noun, they almost always mean the animal itself. You might say “a grey squirrel” or “squirrels buried nuts” to talk about a species or describe what they do.
There are also compound forms like “squirrel-like” for quick, small animals, or “squirrelish” for someone acting a bit like a squirrel.
If you check dictionaries like Merriam-Webster or Collins, you’ll see several senses: tree-dwelling rodents, ground squirrels, and even some informal uses. The plural is squirrels.
Older spellings like squirel or skíouros sometimes pop up in historical writing, but modern English sticks with “squirrel.”
Common noun phrases:
- bushy tail
- squirreling behavior (storing food)
- squirrel species names: red squirrel, grey squirrel
Figurative and Verb Meanings
People sometimes use “squirrel” in a figurative way, meaning to hide or save something for later. As a verb, “to squirrel (away)” means you stash or save things secretly—like money or snacks.
For example, you might hear, “She squirreled the cash under the mattress.” The verb shows up as squirrelled, squirreling, or squirreled, depending on tense and where you’re from.
Figurative uses also pop up in personality descriptions. If someone calls you “squirrelish,” they probably mean you’re fidgety or tend to hoard things.
There’s also “purple squirrel,” a quirky hiring term for a rare, perfect job candidate. These non-literal meanings come from the animal’s habit of hiding food and its quick, jumpy movements.
If you want a more formal definition of the verb, check out Britannica’s entry for squirrel away.
Types of Squirrels and Related Animals
Squirrels belong to a big family of rodents with a lot of variety. You’ll find tree-dwellers with bushy tails, ground squirrels that burrow, and even gliding nocturnal types.
Each group has its own shapes, sizes, and habits.
Tree Squirrels and Bushy-Tailed Rodents
Tree squirrels are probably the ones you see most often in parks and forests. Members of the genus Sciurus—like the Eastern gray squirrel and red squirrel—climb trees with sharp claws and use their bushy tails for balance and signaling danger.
You can spot tree squirrels by their slim bodies, strong back legs, and tails about as long as their bodies.
Some tree squirrels live in holes in trees, while others build round nests called dreys from leaves. In the tropics, you’ll find the Oriental giant squirrel and the tiny African pygmy squirrel, both moving through the canopy.
They eat nuts, seeds, fruit, fungi, and sometimes eggs. Their front teeth never stop growing, so they gnaw on hard shells to keep them in check.
Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, and Marmots
Ground squirrels, chipmunks, and marmots spend most of their time on or under the ground. Prairie dogs, woodchucks (marmots), and antelope squirrels dig burrows for shelter and food storage.
You can tell them apart by size and behavior. Chipmunks are small, striped, and quick. Marmots are big and chunky. Prairie dogs live in colonies and make alarm calls.
These animals stay active during the day. You’ll find them in grasslands, deserts, and open forests.
They eat seeds, grasses, roots, and insects. Many species hibernate or slow down in winter, while others stay busy all year.
Ground squirrels are part of the Sciuridae family but usually have shorter, less bushy tails than tree squirrels.
Flying Squirrels and Other Sciurids
Flying squirrels don’t actually fly—they glide. A stretchy membrane called a patagium runs from their wrist to their ankle and lets them soar from tree to tree.
Most folks spot flying squirrels at dusk or during the night. Their big, dark eyes help them see in low light, and their tails—kind of flat, honestly—work like little rudders when they’re gliding.
You’ll find flying squirrels in forests all over North America, Europe, and Asia. Several genera make up this group in the family Sciuridae.
Other sciurids, like palm squirrels and members of the subfamily Sciurinae, show all sorts of quirky habits. Flying squirrels munch on seeds, fruits, fungi, and sometimes even insects.
Their gliding skills let them travel between trees without ever touching the ground. Maybe that’s why you don’t see them as often as those bold daytime tree or ground squirrels.
