squirrel (n.)early 14c., from Anglo-French
esquirel, Old French
escurel (Modern French
écureuil), from Vulgar Latin *
scuriolus, diminutive of *
scurius "squirrel," variant of Latin
sciurus, from Greek
skiouros "a squirrel," literally "shadow-tailed," from
skia "shadow" +
oura "tail." Perhaps the original notion is "that which makes a shade with its tail." The Old English word was
acweorna, which survived into Middle English as
aquerne.