marmotta
/marˈmɔt.ta/feminine
The Italian word for woodchuck is marmotta.
The word marmotta refers to a rodent of the family Sciuridae.
Meaning: rodent of the family Sciuridae (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular feminine noun marmotta becomes marmotte in the plural form to refer to multiple woodchucks.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables and is pronounced /marˈmɔt.ta/. The stress is on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The word marmotta is used in the common idiom dormire come una marmotta, which means to sleep very deeply or soundly.
- While marmotta means 'woodchuck' or 'marmot', the Italian word for the actual groundhog is often marmotta canadese to distinguish the North American species from the European ones.
- The Italian marmotta was borrowed from the French word marmotte.
Examples in context
- Ho visto una marmotta nel bosco.I saw a woodchuck in the woods.
- La marmotta mangia l'erba fresca.The woodchuck eats fresh grass.
- Quella marmotta è molto veloce.That woodchuck is very fast.
Example conversation
Matteo and Giulia are hiking in the mountains.
- MatteoGuarda, Giulia! C'è una marmotta!Look, Giulia! There is a woodchuck!
- GiuliaOh, è bellissima quella marmotta.Oh, that woodchuck is beautiful.
- MatteoÈ proprio piccola e carina.It is really small and cute.
- GiuliaSpero di vederne un'altra oggi.I hope to see another one today.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “woodchuck” translations and entries marmotta, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries marmotta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
