ermine
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ermine
- /ˈɜːmɪn/ UK
- /ˈɝmɪn/ US
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)mɪn
Where it comes from
From 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 Romansh 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.
noun ermines · 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) which's 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.
- The office of a judge.
- 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
- Plural of ermine
Similar: stoat, short-tailed weasel
adjective
- In blazon, of the colour ermine (white with black spots).
verb ermines · ermining · ermined
- To clothe with ermine.
Thesaurus
noun
Similar: stoat, short-tailed weasel
Translations
Every language
noun Mustela erminea, M. richardsonii, M. haidarum
| Español | armiño |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 북방족제비 bukbangjokjebi |
| 日本語 | おこじょ okojo |
| 中文 | 白鼬 báiyòu |
| Português | arminho |
| Français | hermine |
| Deutsch | Hermelin |
| Italiano | ermellino |
| Ελληνικά | ερμίνα ermína |
| Română | hermelină, hermină |
| Русский | горноста́й gornostáj |
| العربية | قَاقِم qāqim |
noun the white fur of this animal
| Español | armiño |
|---|---|
| Français | hermine |
| Deutsch | Hermelin |
| Română | hermină |
| Русский | горноста́й gornostáj |
noun a symbol of purity
| Español | armiño |
|---|
Talk about this word "ermine." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ermine. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ermine. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ermine "ermine." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ermine.Cite this
@misc{ermine_2026,
title = {ermine},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ermine},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
