Raccoon Means the One Who Scratches With Its Hands
A raccoon is a masked North American mammal. Its name comes from an Algonquian word describing what it does with its front paws.
A raccoon is a medium-sized mammal with a black mask and a ringed tail, native to North America and now widespread in Europe and Japan. The name comes from an Algonquian word recorded by early colonists as *aroughcun*, meaning roughly one who scratches with its hands — a fair description of an animal whose front paws are astonishingly dexterous.
- A masked North American mammal. *A raccoon in the bins.*
- Its fur. *A raccoon coat.*
- Raccoon eyes — dark circles. *He had raccoon eyes after the flight.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | raccoon | A young raccoon. |
| Plural | raccoons | Urban raccoons. |
| Variant | racoon | Racoon, in British spelling. |
| Group | nursery / gaze | A gaze of raccoons. |
| Related | procyonid | A procyonid species. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Raccoons open bins that defeat most animals.They are notoriously good at latches.
- They often dunk food in water before eating.Which is why the German name means wash-bear.
- Raccoons are now established in parts of Europe.Introduced in the twentieth century.
Raccoon facts
- Front paws — highly sensitive, with no opposable thumb
- Mask — thought to reduce glare and aid night vision
- Omnivorous — fruit, insects, eggs, fish and refuse
- Nocturnal — mostly, though urban ones adapt
- Waschbär — the German name, meaning wash-bear
From an Algonquian language of Virginia, recorded by John Smith around 1608. English spelling settled on raccoon in America and often racoon in Britain.
Do raccoons really wash their food?
They dunk and handle it in water, which appears to heighten the sensitivity of their paws rather than to clean anything.
Raccoon or racoon?
Raccoon with two c's is standard in America and increasingly everywhere. Racoon is a British variant.