ermine

American  

[ur-min] / ˈɜr mɪn /

noun

ermines, plural ermine plural

1. an Old World weasel, Mustela erminea, having in its winter color phase a white coat with black at the tip of the tail.

2. any of various weasels having a white winter coat.

3. the lustrous, white, winter fur of the ermine, often having fur from the animal's black tail tip inserted at intervals for contrast.

4. 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.

5. Heraldry. a fur, consisting of a conventional representation of tails, often with a pattern of dots, sable on argent.

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adjective

1. made of, covered, or adorned with ermine.

ermine British  

/ ˈɜːmɪn /

noun

1. the stoat in northern regions, where it has a white winter coat with a black-tipped tail

2. the fur of this animal

3. one of the two principal furs used on heraldic shields, conventionally represented by a white field flecked with black ermine tails Compare vair

4. the dignity or office of a judge, noble, or king

5. short for ermine moth

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ermined
  adjective
• unermined
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ermine
  plural
• ermines
  plural

Etymology

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)

Explanation

An ermine is a small, wild weasel. Ermines, like minks and sables, have very soft fur and they’re all part of the mustelid family which also includes otters, badgers, and wolverines! You're likely to come across the noun ermine in connection with the way humans use them — in some areas of the world, they are commonly raised or hunted for their fur, which is prized for its softness and can be made into coats or hats. Another word for an ermine is a stoat. A coat made from an ermine's skin is also called an ermine.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ermine ermines

Ramsay, influenced by the French Rococo, gives us the future “Farmer George” as a soft-faced youth in golden silk and ermine, the disasters of madness and national humiliation ahead of him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

Butterfly Conservation said was most likely caused by ermine moth caterpillars, which feed inside the webs and "are the definition of a hungry caterpillar".

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

The robe of state, worn by Claire Foy, is red velvet and ermine, and we obviously couldn’t use ermine now, so had to find fake fur.

From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2024

It features a purple velvet cap, ermine band and criss-crossed arches topped by a cross.

From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2023

His mantle was ermine, pinned at the shoulder with a golden trident.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

But despite the dress scarves and ermines, Vienna’s ball culture is curiously democratic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2016

In a two-week trek, our party of 11--all cousins from the U.S., ranging in age from 15 to 64--would see more bears, as well as reindeer, foxes, ermines and 2-ft.-long trout.

From Time Magazine Archive

Such a slump is normal enough at season's end, but this year Broadway thought that the New York World's Fair would keep her dolled up in her midwinter ermines.

From Time Magazine Archive

The National Horse Show, the U. S. No. 1 equine exhibition, has always been an excuse for female socialites to show off their minks and ermines.

From Time Magazine Archive

They are derived from the College Shield, which in heraldic language is sable a crescent ermines with a bordure ermines.

From Highways and Byways in Cambridge and Ely by Conybeare, Edward