/chin chil"euh/ , n.
1. a small, South American rodent, Chinchilla laniger, raised for its soft, silvery gray fur: now rare in the wild.
2. the fur of this animal.
3. something, as a coat or jacket, made of chinchilla fur: a floor-length chinchilla.
4. a thick, napped, woolen fabric for coats.
[ 1595-1605; chinche CHINCH + -illa -illa dim. suffix ]