chinchilla Syllabification: (chin·chil·la)Pronunciation: /CHinˈCHilə/Definition of chinchilla noun a small South American rodent with soft gray fur and a long bushy tail. Genus Chinchilla, family Chinchillidae: two species, in particular C. lanigera a cat or rabbit of a breed with silver-gray or gray fur. the highly valued fur of the chinchilla, or of the chinchilla rabbit. Origin: early 17th century: from Spanish, from Aymara or Quechuachinchilla in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of chinchilla in the British & World English dictionary