Gopher - Definition and Overview

The word Gopher has a number of meanings:

• A gopher is any small burrowing rodent of the pocket gopher family Geomyidae, native to North America. The name is often also used for ground squirrels (family Sciuridae), particularly Richardson's Ground Squirrel, Spermophilus richardsonii.
• A slang word for a junior worker, usually in an office—someone who can be sent to go for things; in this sense it is sometimes spelled gofer.
• The U.S. state of Minnesota is known as The Gopher State, ergo
  • The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers sports teams.
  • The University-developed Gopher protocol for the Internet.
• The Gophers is a British animation series.