Racoons

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A medium-sized mammal known for its distinctive black facial mask, dexterous front paws, and omnivorous diet, often found in urban areas
2. A nocturnal animal recognized for its intelligence, adaptability, and habit of scavenging for food, typically in gardens and garbage
3. A playful creature belonging to the Procyonidae family, famous for its bandit-like appearance and ability to manipulate objects to find edibles

Etymology: The word is simply the plural of "racoon", so its story is really the story of the singular. That word came into English from Algonquian, most likely from a Virginia Algonquian language of the Powhatan group, where it is usually reconstructed as something close to "arakun" or "aroughcun," meaning "one who scratches with its hands." English speakers in the early colonial period borrowed the name from the local people who knew the animal well, and the form was shaped by English spelling habits over time, which is why the spelling has varied so widely. The plural follows the ordinary English pattern of adding "-s" to a noun ending in a consonant, so "racoons" simply refers to more than one of these masked, nocturnal animals. The spelling "raccoon," with a double c, is the more common modern form, and "racoon" is an older or variant spelling that survives in some dictionaries and writing.

Synonyms: raccoons