gopher

Etymology 1

Perhaps an adaptation of Cajun French gaufre (literally “honeycomb, waffle”), based on the analogy of holes in the ground to the indentations in a honeycomb or a waffle (doublet of waffle). Alternatively, from Muskogean.

noun

1. A small burrowing rodent native to North and Central America, especially in the family Geomyidae (true gophers).
2. The ground squirrel.
3. The gopher tortoise.
4. The gopher rockfish.

Etymology 2

noun

1. Alternative spelling of gofer
   Crackpot Texan oil magnate Felix Happer (Burt Lancaster) gets the idea that a small Scottish fishing village would be a marvellous acquisition for his so-rich-it-makes-you-sick company, Knox Oil and Gas, so he sends an executive gopher named MacIntyre (because that sounds Scottish, yeah – played by Peter Riegert) to close the deal and get the pipeline pencilled in. 2015-03-12, Bill Mann, “The film that makes me cry: Local Hero”, in The Guardian