Finnish

Noun

pesukarhu

1. raccoon, Procyon lotor
2. raccoon (any species in the genus Procyon)

Usage notes

A working group for naming mammals proposed in 2008 that "raccoon" should be named supi in Finnish, as: a) all other species in the genus have supi in their name, although the genus is pesukarhut, b) raccoon is not a karhu ‎(“bear”), and c) the term supi has been used in Finland of the fur of raccoon and of the animal by Finnish Americans. The opponents claim that this convention would just add to the confusion as the term pesukarhu is unambiguous and raccoon dog is supikoira in Finnish, often called only supi in common language. As a result, supi has not gained popularity as Finnish name of raccoon.

Declension

Synonyms

• supi (disputed, see "Usage notes" above)