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Definition of Polecat - 5 dictionary results

pole⋅cat

  [pohl-kat]
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–noun, plural -cats, (especially collectively) -cat.
1. a European mammal, Mustela putorius, of the weasel family, having a blackish fur and ejecting a fetid fluid when attacked or disturbed. Compare ferret 1 (def. 1).
2. any of various North American skunks.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME polcat, perh. equiv. to MF pol, poul chicken (< L pullus) + cat1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pole·cat   (pōl'kāt')   
n.  
    1. A chiefly nocturnal European carnivorous mammal (Mustela putorius) of the weasel family that ejects a malodorous fluid to mark its territory and ward off enemies. Also called fitch.
    2. Any of various related mammals of Asia, especially Mustela eversmanni of central Asia.
  2. See skunk.

[Middle English polcat : possibly Old French poll, poule, fowl, hen; see pullet + Middle English cat, cat; see cat.]
skunk   (skŭngk)   
n.  
    1. Any of several small, mostly carnivorous New World mammals of the genus Mephitis and related genera, having a bushy tail and black fur with white markings and ejecting a foul-smelling oily liquid from glands near the anus when frightened or in danger. Also called polecat.
    2. The glossy black and white fur of this mammal.
    3. A person regarded as obnoxious or despicable.
    4. A person whose company is avoided.
  2. Slang
    1. A person regarded as obnoxious or despicable.
    2. A person whose company is avoided.
tr.v.   skunked, skunk·ing, skunks Slang
  1. To defeat overwhelmingly, especially by keeping from scoring.
    1. To cheat (someone).
    2. To fail to pay (an amount due).

[Of Massachusett origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Polecat

Pole"cat`\, n. [Probably fr. F. poule hen, and originally, a poultry cat, because it feeds on poultry. See Poultry.] (Zo["o]l.) (a) A small European carnivore of the Weasel family (Putorius f[oe]tidus). Its scent glands secrete a substance of an exceedingly disagreeable odor. Called also fitchet, foulmart, and European ferret. (b) The zorilla. The name is also applied to other allied species.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Polecat
Spanish: turón,
German: der Iltis,
Japanese: けながいたち
More Translations »

polecat 
1320, first element is probably Anglo-Fr. pol, from O.Fr. poule "fowl, hen," so called because it preys on poultry. The other alternative is that the first element is from O.Fr. pulent "stinking," for obvious reasons. Originally the European Putorius foetidus; also applied to related U.S. skunks since 1688.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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