MUSKRAT

[musk.rat] n, pl muskrat or muskrats [prob. by folk etymology fr. a word of Algonquian origin; akin to Massachuset musquash muskrat] (1607): an aquatic rodent (Ondatra zibethica) of the U.S. and Canada with a long scaly laterally compressed tail, webbed hind feet, and dark glossy brown fur; also: its fur or pelt