grison

[ grahy-suh n, griz-uh n ]

/ ˈgraɪ sən, ˈgrɪz ən /

noun

a weasellike carnivore, Galictis vittata, ranging from southern Mexico to Peru, having a grayish-white upper body, a distinctive white stripe across the forehead and ears, and a dark brown face, chest, and legs.

Nearby words

grisette, grisham, grishun, griskin, grisly, grison, grisons, grissini, grist, grist for the mill, gristle

Origin of grison

1790–1800; < French, equivalent to Middle French gris gray (see griseous) + -on diminutive suffix

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

Examples from the Web for grison

The grison lives on small mammals and birds, and in settled districts is destructive to poultry.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 5|Various
He obeyed its summons, but soon found it prudent to make his escape, and reached Chiavenna in the Grison dominions.
Introduction to the Literature of Europe in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries, Vol. 1|Henry Hallam
This is the Grison, which, in appearance and habits, somewhat resembles the wolverene.
Quadrupeds, What They Are and Where Found|Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for grison

grison

/ (ˈɡraɪsən, ˈɡrɪzən) /

noun

either of two musteline mammals, Grison (or Galictis) cuja or G. vittata, of Central and South America, having a greyish back and black face and underparts

Word Origin for grison

C18: from French, from grison grey animal, from Old French gris grey

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