栗鼠

栗鼠

1. squirrel (Classifier: 隻／只 m)
2. chinchilla

/ritu so/ → /risːo/ → /risːə/ → /risu/

Shift from Middle Chinese-derived compound 栗鼠 (MC lit syoX, literally “chestnut + mouse, rat”).^[1][2]

• (Tokyo) りす [ríꜜsù] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1][3]
• IPA^(key): [ɾʲisɨ]

栗(り)鼠(す) or 栗鼠(リス) • (risu) 

1. a squirrel (rodent of family Sciuridae)

   Synonyms: 木鼠 (kinezumi), 栗鼠 (kurinezumi)

   • c. 2012, “パンツにリスがいるんだよ [S.I.M.P. (Squirrels In My Pants)]”:

     あ———　パンツにリスが！

     A——— Pantsu ni risu ga!

     AHHHHHHH! There are squirrels in my pants!

     パンツに凄(すご)いリスがいるんだってさ

     Pantsu ni sugoi risu ga iru n da tte sa

     That girl's got some serious squirrels in her pants.

2. ellipsis of 日本栗鼠 (Nihon risu): a Japanese squirrel (Sciurus lis)

• 鼯鼠(ムササビ) (musasabi), 鼯鼠(モモンガ) (momonga, “flying squirrel”)

Compound of 栗(くり) (kuri, “chestnut”) + 鼠(ねずみ) (nezumi, “mouse, rat”).

• (Tokyo) くりねずみ [kùrínéꜜzùmì] (Nakadaka – [3])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [kɯ̟ɾʲine̞zɨmʲi]

栗(くり)鼠(ねずみ) • (kurinezumi) 

1. synonym of 栗鼠 (risu, “squirrel, a rodent of family Sciuridae”)
2. name of a hair color of a horse; grey with tinges of brown (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)
3. ellipsis of 栗鼠色 (kurinezumi-iro): a brownish colour, as of a squirrel's fur