I. squir ‧ rel 1 /ˈskwɪrəl $ ˈskwɜːrəl/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Anglo-French ; Origin: esquirel , from Latin sciurus , from Greek skiouros , from skia 'shadow' + oura 'tail' ]
a small animal with a long furry tail that climbs trees and eats nuts
II. squirrel 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle squirrelled , present participle squirrelling British English , squirreled , squirreling American English )
squirrel something ↔ away phrasal verb
to keep something in a safe place to use later SYN stash away :
By December I had $300 squirreled away.