Ermine

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɜːmɪn/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)mɪn

Origin

From Middle English ermine, ermin, ermyn, from Old French ermin, ermine, hermine, from Old Dutch *harmino ‘stoat skin’, from *harmo ‘stoat, weasel’ (compare Dutch dialectal herm), from Proto-Germanic *harmōn (compare Old English hearma, Old High German harmo (adj. harmin, obsolete German Harm), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱormon (compare Romansch carmun, obsolete Lithuanian šarmuõ).

Note: The supposed derivation from Medieval Latin mūs Armenius ("Armenian mouse") is without any foundation.

Century 1911

Noun

1. A weasel, , found in northern latitudes; its dark brown fur turns white in winter (apart from the black tip of the tail)
2. The white fur of this animal
3. (poetic) A symbol of purity
4. (figuratively) The office of a judge
5. (tincture) A white field with black spots

Synonyms

• stoat British
• short-tailed weasel
• wild otter

Full definition of ermine

Verb

1. To clothe with ermine

Anagrams

• emerin