groundhog

plural groundhogs · alternative ground-hog · alternative ground hog

1. A red-brown marmot, Marmota monax, native to North America.

   In 1909, local newspapers reported that the governor of Pennsylvania attended the group’s annual feast and 400 groundhogs were served to 400 guests.

   2016 February 1, Lisa Rose, “Punxsutawney Phil: Friend or foe? A Groundhog Day investigation”, in CNN, archived from the original on 25 Apr 2016

   1 more example

   Many sources claim that the original Groundhog Day took place in 1887, when residents of Punxsutawney set out to Gobbler’s Knob, known as Phil’s “official” home, but the first piece of evidence Yoder found of townspeople trusting a groundhog for the weather, a diary entry, was dated 1840.

   2023 February 1, Scottie Andrew, “The bizarre history of Groundhog Day”, in CNN, archived from the original on 18 Jul 2024

   Synonyms: groundpig, whistle-pig, woodchuck

2. rareThe aardvark.
3. uncommonSynonym of groundlubber

   Synonyms: groundlubber