- a small gregarious hystricomorph rodent, Chinchilla laniger, inhabiting mountainous regions of South America: family Chinchillidae. It has a stocky body and is bred in captivity for its soft silvery grey fur
- the highly valued fur of this animal
- a thick napped woollen cloth used for coats
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
chin•chil•la /tʃɪnˈtʃɪlə/USA pronunciation
n., pl. -las.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Mammals[countable] a small South American rodent raised for its silvery gray fur.
- Clothing[uncountable] the fur itself.
chin•chil•la
(chin chil′ə),USA pronunciation n.
- Mammalsa small, South American rodent, Chinchilla laniger, raised for its soft, silvery gray fur: now rare in the wild.
- Clothingthe fur of this animal.
- Clothingsomething, as a coat or jacket, made of chinchilla fur:a floor-length chinchilla.
- Textilesa thick, napped, woolen fabric for coats.
- Latin -illa diminutive suffix
- Spanish, perh., equivalent. to chinche chinch + -illa
- 1595–1605
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
chinchilla /tʃɪnˈtʃɪlə/ n
'chinchilla' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):