Ermine
['ɜːmɪn] or ['ɝmɪn]
Definition
(noun.) mustelid of northern hemisphere in its white winter coat.
(noun.) the expensive white fur of the ermine.
Typist: Rachel--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) 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.
(n.) 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.
(n.) By metonymy, the office or functions of a judge, whose state robe, lined with ermine, is emblematical of purity and honor without stain.
(n.) One of the furs. See Fur (Her.)
(v. t.) To clothe with, or as with, ermine.
Checked by Emma
Synonyms and Synonymous
n. [1]. Stoat (Mustela erminea).[2]. Fur of the stoat.
Inputed by George
Definition
n. a well-known carnivore belonging to the genus which includes polecat weasel ferret &c.—its white fur often used as an emblem of purity: ermine fur used for the robes of judges and magistrates.—adj. Er′mined adorned with ermine.
Edited by Candice
Unserious Contents or Definition
To dream that you wear this beautiful and costly raiment, denotes exaltation, lofty character and wealth forming a barrier to want and misery. To see others thus clothed, you will be associated with wealthy people, polished in literature and art. For a lover to see his sweetheart clothed in ermine, is an omen of purity and faithfulness. If the ermine is soiled, the reverse is indicated.
Checked by Aida
Examples
- The whole covers a crimson velvet cap with an ermine border. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- Where does Ermine Come From? Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- Like many other species of this genus, the ermine has the faculty of ejecting a fluid of a musky odor. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- In winter, in cold countries or severe seasons, the fur changes from a reddish-brown to a yellowish-white, or almost pure white, under which shade the animal is recognized as the ermine. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- Because of that change which occurs in the color of its fur at different seasons--by far most marked in the Arctic regions--it is not generally known that the ermine and stoat are the same. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- She remembered some shops--one full of pictures, one with orange velvet and ermine. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- The ermine fur, with which we are all familiar, is furnished by the stoat, a small animal of the weasel tribe. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- They are clothed in velvet and warm in their furs and their ermines, while we are covered with rags. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
Edited by Beverly