ermine

[ ur-min ]
/ ˈɜr mɪn /

noun, plural er·mines, (especially collectively) er·mine.

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.

Origin of ermine

1150–1200; Middle English < Old French ( h)ermine, noun use of feminine of ( h)ermin (masculine adj.) < Latin Armenius, short for Armenius ( mūs) Armenian (rat)

OTHER WORDS FROM ermine

er·mined, adjective un·er·mined, adjective

Words nearby ermine

erlenmeyer flask, erlking, erm, erma, ermanaric, ermine, ermine moth, ermite, ermoupoli, erna, ernakulam

Example sentences from the Web for ermine

British Dictionary definitions for ermine

ermine
/ (ˈɜːmɪn) /

noun plural -mines or -mine

the stoat in northern regions, where it has a white winter coat with a black-tipped tail
the fur of this animal
one 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
short for ermine moth

Word Origin for ermine

C12: from Old French hermine, from Medieval Latin Armenius ( mūs) Armenian (mouse)