The Spanish word 'zorrillo' comes from combining 'zorro' (meaning 'fox') with the diminutive suffix '-illo'. The word 'zorro' itself has interesting origins, coming from Portuguese 'zorro' which meant 'lazy person'. Over time, the meaning shifted from describing a lazy person to describing the fox, possibly due to the fox's reputation for being cunning while appearing lazy or sleeping during the day. When combined with the diminutive '-illo', the word 'zorrillo' literally means 'little fox', but interestingly came to be used as the word for 'skunk' in Spanish, likely due to both animals being small furry mammals with distinctive defensive mechanisms.

The simpler and more common Spanish word 'zorro' (meaning 'fox') is directly related to 'zorrillo'. While 'zorro' refers to the clever fox, its diminutive form 'zorrillo' came to specifically denote the skunk. This is a good example of how adding the diminutive suffix '-illo' to a Spanish word doesn't always just mean 'small version' but can develop its own distinct meaning.

While there aren't direct English cognates from the same root as 'zorrillo', English speakers might find it helpful to remember that the '-illo' suffix in Spanish often corresponds to the English '-ling' or 'little' in meaning (though 'zorrillo' has evolved beyond just meaning 'little fox' to specifically mean 'skunk').