also racoon noun (plural raccoon or raccoons; also racoon or racoons)
Etymology: Virginia Algonquian raugroughcun, arocoun
Date: 1608
1. a small nocturnal carnivore ( Procyon lotor ) of North America that is chiefly gray, has a black mask and bushy ringed tail, lives chiefly in trees, and has a varied diet including small animals, fruits, and nuts, the pelt of this animal, any of several animals resembling or related to the raccoon