Source

1. A burrowing rodent of the genus Dasyprocta, native to tropical America and usually having brown fur streaked with gray.
2. The alternation of light and dark bands of color in the fur of various animals, producing a grizzled appearance.

[French, from American Spanish agutí, from Guarani acutí.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.