ermine
English
editEtymology
editFrom Middle English ermine, ermin, ermyn, from Old French ermin, ermine, hermine.
There are two main theories for the origin of Old French ermine. Germanic origin is suggested via Old Dutch *harmino (“stoat skin”), from *harmo (“stoat, weasel”) (compare Dutch hermelijn and dialectal herm), from Proto-Germanic *harmǭ, *harmô (compare Old English hearma, Old High German harmo (harmin (adjective), obsolete German Harm), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱormō (compare Romansch carmun, obsolete Lithuanian šarmuõ). Romance sources identify the animal with the corresponding word for Armenian, possibly from Medieval Latin mūs Armenius (“Armenian mouse”) or a posterior compound.
Pronunciation
edit- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɜːmɪn/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɝmɪn/
- Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)mɪn
Noun
editermine (countable and uncountable, plural ermines or ermine)
- A weasel found in northern latitudes (Mustela erminea in Eurasia, Alaska, and the Arctic, Mustela haidarum in Haida Gwaii, Mustela richardsonii in the rest of North America); its dark brown fur turns white in winter, apart from the black tip of the tail.
- The white fur of this animal, traditionally seen as a symbol of purity and used for judges' robes.
- (by extension, figuratively) The office of a judge.
- (heraldry) The fur of this animal, used as a heraldic tincture: a white field with a repeating pattern of stylized black spots.
- Any of various moths, especially in the family Yponomeutidae
Synonyms
edit- stoat (British)
- short-tailed weasel (American)
Derived terms
editRelated terms
editTranslations
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Adjective
editermine (not comparable)
Translations
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Verb
editermine (third-person singular simple present ermines, present participle ermining, simple past and past participle ermined)
- (transitive) To clothe with ermine.
Anagrams
editMiddle English
editNoun
editermine
- Alternative form of ermyne
Old French
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editEither from Vulgar Latin *(mus) Armenius (“Armenian (mouse)”) (see Armenia) or Frankish *harmīn (“ermine”, adjective) (from *harmō (“ermine”)).
Noun
editermine oblique singular, f (oblique plural ermines, nominative singular ermine, nominative plural ermines)
- ermine (fabric)
- c. 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide:
- La pane fu de blanc ermine
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Descendants
edit- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Germanic languages
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ɜː(ɹ)mɪn
- Rhymes:English/ɜː(ɹ)mɪn/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English indeclinable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- en:Heraldic tinctures
- English adjectives
- English uncomparable adjectives
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- en:Hides
- en:Mustelids
- en:Moths
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English nouns
- Old French terms inherited from Vulgar Latin
- Old French terms derived from Vulgar Latin
- Old French terms derived from Frankish
- Old French lemmas
- Old French nouns
- Old French feminine nouns
- Old French terms with quotations