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.

Nearby words

erlking, erm, erma, ermanaric, ermentrude, ermine, ermine moth, ermite, ermoupoli, erna, ernakulam

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)

Related formser·mined, adjectiveun·er·mined, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ermine

The Countess deftly steered the lifeboat, a resolute and unlikely vision in her ermine and pearls.
The Titanic’s Haute Heroine: The Countess of Rothes|Elizabeth Kaye|April 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The ermine was also written about by Leonardo as a symbol of her purity.
London’s National Gallery Opens the Exhibition of the Century|Daily Beast Promotions|November 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It may be a visual pun on her surname, since the Greek for ermine or stoat is galay.
London’s National Gallery Opens the Exhibition of the Century|Daily Beast Promotions|November 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST
"To be sure; an ermine surcoat she spoke of but yesterday," said the Cardinal.
The Works of Honor de Balzac|Honor de Balzac

She laid her weary head on Ermine's lap, and Ermine bent down and kissed her.
The Clever Woman of the Family|Charlotte M. Yonge
The purse at his girdle was plethoric, the fur on his tippet was ermine, broad and new.
The Cloister and the Hearth|Charles Reade
On her head was a cap of purple velvet, turned up with ermine and edged with a band of gold, set with large diamonds.
Agnes Strickland's Queens of England, Vol. II. (of III)|Rosalie Kaufman
The peers, robed in gold and ermine, were marshalled by the heralds under Garter King-at-Arms.
The Ontario High School Reader|A.E. Marty

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 tailsCompare 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)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ermine

ermine

late 12c., from Old French ermine (12c., Modern French hermine), both the animal and the fur, apparently from a convergence of Latin (mus) Armenius "Armenian (mouse)," ermines being abundant in Asia Minor; and an unrelated Germanic word for "weasel" (cf. Old High German harmo "ermine, stoat, weasel," adj. harmin; Old Saxon harmo, Old English hearma "shrew," etc.) that happened to sound like it.