ermine
Americannoun
plural
ermines,plural
ermine-
an Old World weasel, Mustela erminea, having in its winter color phase a white coat with black at the tip of the tail.
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any of various weasels having a white winter coat.
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the lustrous, white, winter fur of the ermine, often having fur from the animal's black tail tip inserted at intervals for contrast.
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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.
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Heraldry. a fur, consisting of a conventional representation of tails, often with a pattern of dots, sable on argent.
adjective
noun
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the stoat in northern regions, where it has a white winter coat with a black-tipped tail
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the fur of this animal
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one of the two principal furs used on heraldic shields, conventionally represented by a white field flecked with black ermine tails Compare vair
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the dignity or office of a judge, noble, or king
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short for ermine moth
Other Word Forms
- ermined adjective
- unermined adjective
Etymology
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)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
No matter which city he was in, Elisha sent lavish gifts for Maggie, addressed to Mother Fox, “I could not resist the temptation of sending the accompanying little trifle of ermine, for Miss Margaretta’s throat.”
From Literature
Inside were furs: a fox jacket, a mink stole, a floor-length ermine coat.
From Literature
He had himself crowned in 2012 while dressed in ermine robes and brandishing a medieval sword.
From BBC
She'll start by wearing one of the fake fur robes on offer for her introduction ceremony, rather than a traditional ermine robe, and she will take her oath in Welsh.
From BBC
For special occasions, the royals donned crowns and ermine robes.
From New York Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
