Definition of GOPHER

gopher

Plural: gophers

Noun

  • A burrowing rodent known for its extensive tunnel systems.
  • a zealously energetic person (especially a salesman)
  • a native or resident of Minnesota
  • any of various terrestrial burrowing rodents of Old and New Worlds; often destroy crops
  • burrowing rodent of the family Geomyidae having large external cheek pouches; of Central America and southwestern North America
  • burrowing edible land tortoise of southeastern North America
  • A small burrowing rodent native to North and Central America, especially in the family Geomyidae (pocket gophers).
  • A ground squirrel (Marmotinae spp.).
  • A gopher tortoise (Gopherus spp.).
  • A gopher rockfish (Sebastes carnatus).
  • A Golang programmer.
  • Alternative spelling of gofer.

Examples

  • The G in GOPHER gave him a prime spot to play a high-scoring ’Q’ on the Words With Friends board.

Origin / Etymology

Perhaps an adaptation of Cajun French gaufre (literally “honeycomb, waffle”), based on the analogy of holes in the ground to the indentations in a honeycomb or a waffle (doublet of waffle). Alternatively, from Muskogean.

Synonyms

goffer, gopher tortoise, gopher turtle, Gopherus polypemus, ground squirrel, Minnesotan, pocket gopher, pouched rat, spermophile

Scrabble Score: 12

gopher: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
gopher: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
gopher: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

gopher: valid Words With Friends Word