RACCOON

also racoon noun (plural ~ or ~s; also racoon or racoons) Etymology: Virginia Algonquian raugroughcun, arocoun Date: 1608 1. a small nocturnal carnivore ( Procyon lotor ) of North America that is chiefly gray, has a black mask and bushy ringed tail, lives chiefly in trees, and has a varied diet including small animals, fruits, and nuts, the pelt of this animal, any of several animals resembling or related to the ~