What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Badger vs Gopher - What's the difference?

badger | gopher |

As nouns the difference between badger and gopher

is that badger is a common name for any mammal of three subfamilies, which belong to the family Mustelidae: Melinae (Eurasian badgers), Mellivorinae (ratel or honey badger), and subfamily: Taxideinae (American badger) while gopher is a small burrowing rodent, especially in the family Geomyidae.

As a verb badger

is to pester, to annoy persistently.

badger

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) , referring to the animal's badge-like white blaze.

Noun

(en noun)
  • A common name for any mammal of three subfamilies, which belong to the family Mustelidae: Melinae (Eurasian badgers), Mellivorinae (ratel or honey badger), and (American badger).
  • A native or resident of the American state, Wisconsin.
  • (obsolete) A brush made of badger hair.
  • (in the plural, obsolete, vulgar, cant) A crew of desperate villains who robbed near rivers, into which they threw the bodies of those they murdered.
  • Synonyms
    * (native or resident of Wisconsin) Wisconsinite
    Holonyms
    * (mammal) cete, colony
    Derived terms
    * American badger * European badger * ferret-badger * hog badger * honey badger * stink badger
    See also
    * cete * meline * sett, set * (wikipedia) *

    Verb

  • to pester, to annoy persistently.
  • He kept badgering her about her bad habits.
  • (British, informal) To pass gas; to fart.
  • Synonyms
    * (to fart)

    Etymology 2

    ''(Possibly from "bagger". "Baggier" is cited by the OED in 1467-8)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) An itinerant licensed dealer in commodities used for food; a hawker; a huckster; -- formerly applied especially to one who bought grain in one place and sold it in another.
  • See also
    *

    Anagrams

    * ----

    gopher

    English

    Etymology 1

    Perhaps from French gaufre, based on the analogy of holes in the ground to the indentations in a waffle.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A small burrowing rodent, especially in the family Geomyidae.
  • The gopher tortoise
  • Etymology 2

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • See also

    * gopher wood * gauffre