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ermine
[ ur-min ]
noun
- 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.
- any of various weasels having a white winter coat.
- the lustrous, white, winter fur of the ermine, often having fur from the animal's black tail tip inserted at intervals for contrast.
- the rank, position, or status of a king, peer, or judge, especially one in certain European countries who wears, or formerly wore, a robe trimmed with ermine, as on official or state occasions.
- Heraldry. a fur, consisting of a conventional representation of tails, often with a pattern of dots, sable on argent.
adjective
- made of, covered, or adorned with ermine.
ermine
/ ˈɜːmɪn /
noun
- the stoat in northern regions, where it has a white winter coat with a black-tipped tail
- the fur of this animal
- See vairone of the two principal furs used on heraldic shields, conventionally represented by a white field flecked with black ermine tails Compare vair
- the dignity or office of a judge, noble, or king
- See ermine mothshort for ermine moth
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Other Words From
- ermined adjective
- un·ermined adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of ermine1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of ermine1
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Example Sentences
The Countess deftly steered the lifeboat, a resolute and unlikely vision in her ermine and pearls.
The ermine was also written about by Leonardo as a symbol of her purity.
It may be a visual pun on her surname, since the Greek for ermine or stoat is galay.
He portrayed Cecilia against a monochromatic background, holding a white ermine - an enigmatic feature with multiple meanings.
He bought it instantly, and then seized upon precisely such a "long white thing" of ermine as he had seen in his mind's eye.
She looked at him, then looked down, resting her white chin on the warm white fur of the ermine.
Just as they reached the house Jack stooped to arrange it, throwing it back on either side so that more of the ermine would show.
When she left California her mother had urged her to take a small velvet cape lined with ermine.
The Ermine Street passes through this gate, running north from it for eleven or twelve miles as straight as an arrow.
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