ETYM French raton, prop., a little rat, from rat rat, perhaps of German origin. Related to Rat.
1. Omnivorous nocturnal mammal native to North and Central America; SYN. racoon.
2. The fur of the North American racoon.
Squirrel-like animal of N America and Mexico, and its fur.
Any of several New World species of carnivorous mammals of the genus Procyon, in the family Procyonidae. The common raccoon P. lotor is about 60 cm/2 ft long, with a gray-brown body, a black-and-white ringed tail, and a black “mask” around its eyes. The crab-eating raccoon P. cancrivorus of South America is slightly smaller and has shorter fur.