gopher

Multiple Entries:
  gopher    gofer  

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
gopher /ˈgəʊfə/

▶noun

• 1 (also pocket gopher) a burrowing American rodent with fur-lined pouches on its cheeks. [Family Geomyidae: many species.]

  ■ North American term for ground squirrel. ■[as modifier] in names of various burrowing reptiles: gopher tortoise.

• 2 an Internet system which searches for documents on topics of interest.

• 3 variant spelling of gofer.

– origin C18: perh. from Canad. Fr. gaufre ‘honeycomb’ (because the gopher ‘honeycombs’ the ground with its burrows).

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
gofer /ˈgəʊfə/ (also gopher)

▶noun informal a person who runs errands, especially on a film set or in an office; a dogsbody.

– origin 1960s: from go for (i.e. go and fetch).