Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

black-footed ferret

American  
[blak-foot-id] / ˈblækˌfʊt ɪd /

noun

  1. a weasellike polecat, Mustela nigripes, of prairie regions of the U.S., having a yellowish-brown body with the tip of the tail and legs black: an endangered species.


Etymology

Origin of black-footed ferret

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

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.

See Examples For:

For every success story like that of the bald eagle or the black-footed ferret, the Endangered Species Act also has countless failures.

From Salon Dec. 21, 2023

As a keystone species, prairie dogs provide valuable services to their ecosystems, and they are an important source of food for endangered species, such as the black-footed ferret.

From Slate May 25, 2022

Fusing a ferret fibroblast with an egg cell made an embryo, and a clone - Elizabeth Ann the black-footed ferret - was born in December of 2020.

From BBC May 19, 2022

But once Elizabeth Ann’s eyes opened about 1 month later, her black-footed ferret feistiness kicked in.

From Science Magazine Jan. 13, 2022

They have undergone or are currently involved in successful reintroductions to the wild: Karner blue butterfly, red wolf, black-footed ferret, whooping crane, golden-lion tamarin.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training