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Webster 1913 Edition

Ermine

Er′mine

,
Noun.
[OF.
ermine
, F.
hermine
, prob. of German origin; cf. OHG.
harmo
, G.
hermelin
, akin to Lith.
szarm[GREEK]
,
szarmonys
, weasel, cf. AS.
hearma
; but cf. also LL.
armelinus
,
armellina
,
hermellina
, and
pellis Armenia
, the fur of the
Armenian
rat, mus
Armenius
, the animal being found also in
Armenia
.]
1.
(Zoöl.)
A valuable fur-bearing animal of the genus Mustela (
M. erminea
), allied to the weasel; the stoat. It is found in the northern parts of Asia, Europe, and America. In summer it is brown, but in winter it becomes white, except the tip of the tail, which is always black.
2.
The fur of the ermine, as prepared for ornamenting garments of royalty, etc., by having the tips of the tails, which are black, arranged at regular intervals throughout the white.
3.
By metonymy, the office or functions of a judge, whose state robe, lined with ermine, is emblematical of purity and honor without stain.
Chatham.
4.
(Her.)
One of the furs. See
Fur
(Her.)
☞ Ermine is represented by an argent field, tufted with black. Ermines is the reverse of ermine, being black, spotted or timbered with argent. Erminois is the same as ermine, except that or is substituted for argent.
Ermine moth
(Zoöl.)
,
a white moth with black spots (esp.
Yponomeuta padella
of Europe); – so called on account of the resemblance of its covering to the fur of the ermine; also applied to certain white bombycid moths of America.

Er′mine

,
Verb.
T.
To clothe with, or as with, ermine.
The snows that have
ermined
it in the winter.
Lowell.

Definition 2024

ermine

ermine

English

ermine, Mustela erminea

Noun

ermine ‎(plural ermine or ermines)

  1. A weasel, Mustela erminea, found in northern latitudes; its dark brown fur turns white in winter (apart from the black tip of the tail)
  2. The white fur of this animal
  3. (poetic) A symbol of purity
  4. (figuratively) The office of a judge
  5. (heraldry) A white field with black spots

Synonyms

Translations

Verb

ermine ‎(third-person singular simple present ermines, present participle ermining, simple past and past participle ermined)

  1. To clothe with ermine

Anagrams

Old French

Alternative forms

Noun

ermine f ‎(oblique plural ermines, nominative singular ermine, nominative plural ermines)

  1. ermine (fabric)

Etymology

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 dialectal herm), from Proto-Germanic *harmô (compare Old English hearma, Old High German harmo (harmin ‎(adjective), obsolete German Harm), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱormō (compare Romansch 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.

Pronunciation

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