ferret
1[ fer-it ]
/ ˈfɛr ɪt /
noun
a domesticated, usually red-eyed, and albinic variety of the polecat, used in Europe for driving rabbits and rats from their burrows.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
to search about.
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A Smack Of Jellyfish And Other Strange Animal GroupsWhat do hunting and sexual desires have in common? We could point to several things, but from a linguistic point of view, we’re referring to the archaic word venery , which means both hunting (from the Latin venor) and sexual desire (from Latin veneria, referring to Venus). Strangely, terms of venery is a collective noun that means a group of animals. And, many of these …
A Smack Of Jellyfish And Other Strange Animal GroupsWhat do hunting and sexual desires have in common? We could point to several things, but from a linguistic point of view, we’re referring to the archaic word venery , which means both hunting (from the Latin venor) and sexual desire (from Latin veneria, referring to Venus). Strangely, terms of venery is a collective noun that means a group of animals. And, many of these …
Nearby words
Origin of ferret
11350–1400; Middle English fer(r)et(te), fyret, furet < Middle French furet < Vulgar Latin *furittus, equivalent to fūr thief (< Latin) + -ittus -et
Related formsfer·ret·er, nounfer·ret·y, adjectiveun·fer·ret·ed, adjectiveun·fer·ret·ing, adjective
Definition for ferret (2 of 2)
ferret
2[ fer-it ]
/ ˈfɛr ɪt /
noun
a narrow tape or ribbon, as of silk or cotton, used for binding, trimming, etc.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for ferret
British Dictionary definitions for ferret (1 of 2)
ferret
1/ (ˈfɛrɪt) /
noun
a domesticated albino variety of the polecat Mustela putorius, bred for hunting rats, rabbits, etc
an assiduous searcher
black-footed ferret a musteline mammal, Mustela nigripes, of W North America, closely related to the weasels
verb -rets, -reting or -reted
Derived Formsferreter, nounferrety, adjective
Word Origin for ferret
C14: from Old French furet, from Latin fur thief
British Dictionary definitions for ferret (2 of 2)
ferret
2ferreting
/ (ˈfɛrɪt) /
noun
silk binding tape
Word Origin for ferret
C16: from Italian fioretti floss silk, plural of fioretto : a little flower, from fiore flower, from Latin flōs
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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