Word Origin & History
ferretlate 14c., from O.Fr. fuiret, dim. of fuiron "weasel, ferret," lit. "thief," from L.L. furionem (related to furonem "cat," and also "robber"), probably from L. fur (gen. furis) "thief." The verb (mid-15c.) refers to the use of half-tame ferrets to kill rats and flush rabbits from burrows; the extended
EXPANDsense of "search out, discover" is 1570s.
COLLAPSE