sciurine
/ˈsʌɪjʊrʌɪn/ /ˈsʌɪjʊrɪn/adjective
Of or relating to squirrels or to the squirrel family; resembling or characteristic of a squirrel; (Zoology ) of or relating to the tribe Sciurini (which comprises the typical tree squirrels) or the subfamily Sciurinae (which includes in addition the flying squirrels).
noun
Zoology. A sciurine rodent; a squirrel.
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in Richard Owen (1804–1892), comparative anatomist and palaeontologist. From scientific Latin Sciurus, genus name (Linnaeus Systema naturae (ed. 10, 1758) I. 63): see below) + -ine, after either scientific Latin Sciurini or Sciurinae, former family names (now names respectively of the tribe and subfamily to which squirrels belong).