means A small burrowing mammal with velvety fur, tiny eyes, and powerful spade-like front paws, which lives underground and feeds mostly on worms and insects.

from From Middle English 'molle,' likely a shortening of 'moldwarp' — literally 'earth-thrower' (from 'mold,' meaning soil, plus a root meaning to throw or cast up). The name is a job description: the creature that flings the dirt. It's related to the Dutch 'mol' and German 'Maulwurf,' all naming the same tireless tunneler by the heaps it leaves behind.