[ur-min] 
noun, plural -mines, (especially collectively
) -mine, adjective | 1. | an Old World weasel, Mustela erminea, having in its winter color phase a white coat with black at the tip of the tail. Compare stoat. |
| 2. | any of various weasels having a white winter coat. |
| 3. | the lustrous, white, winter fur of the ermine, often having fur from the animal's black tail tip inserted at intervals for contrast. |
| 4. | the rank, position, or status of a king, peer, or judge, esp. one in certain European countries who wears, or formerly wore, a robe trimmed with ermine, as on official or state occasions. |
| 5. | Heraldry. a fur, consisting of a conventional representation of tails, often with a pattern of dots, sable on argent. |
| 6. | made of, covered, or adorned with ermine. |
| er·mine (ûr'mĭn) n.
[Middle English ermin, from Old French ermine, possibly of Germanic origin or from Medieval Latin (mūs) Armenius, Armenian (mouse).] |