ermine

[ ur-min ]

/ ˈɜr mɪn /

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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.

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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

ermined, adjectiveun·er·mined, adjective

Words nearby ermine

Erlenmeyer flask, erlking, ERM, Erma, Ermanaric, ermine, ermine moth, Ermite, Ermoupoli, -ern, Erna

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ermine in a sentence

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
He portrayed Cecilia against a monochromatic background, holding a white ermine - an enigmatic feature with multiple meanings.
London’s National Gallery Opens the Exhibition of the Century|Daily Beast Promotions|November 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST

He bought it instantly, and then seized upon precisely such a "long white thing" of ermine as he had seen in his mind's eye.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
She looked at him, then looked down, resting her white chin on the warm white fur of the ermine.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
Just as they reached the house Jack stooped to arrange it, throwing it back on either side so that more of the ermine would show.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
When she left California her mother had urged her to take a small velvet cape lined with ermine.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
The Ermine Street passes through this gate, running north from it for eleven or twelve miles as straight as an arrow.
The Towns of Roman Britain|James Oliver Bevan

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