marten
Americannoun
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martens,
plural
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marten
plural
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any of several slender, chiefly arboreal carnivores of the genus Martes, of northern forests, having a long, glossy coat and bushy tail.
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the fur of such an animal, generally a dark brown.
noun
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any of several agile arboreal musteline mammals of the genus Martes, of Europe, Asia, and North America, having bushy tails and golden brown to blackish fur See also pine marten
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the highly valued fur of these animals, esp that of M. americana
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of marten
1375–1425; < Middle Low German, equivalent to mart marten (cognate with Old English mearth ) + -en -en 5; replacing late Middle English martren < Middle French martrine marten fur, noun use of feminine of martrin pertaining to a marten, equivalent to martre marten (< Germanic; compare German Marder ) + -in -in 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He noted the peninsula had once been home to animals such as pronghorn, sea otter, North American porcupine, Humboldt marten, gray wolf, American black bear, grizzlies, northern fur seal and Steller sea lion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
A female marten with four babies was captured by camera traps as they explored the woodland.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Pine marten kits have been born on Exmoor for the first time in over a hundred years, new footage has revealed.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Sixteen of those species are considered species of management concern, such as the great gray owl, wolverine, Pacific marten, and northern rubber boa.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2023
They took that stinking marten with them, she thought as she picked herself up again, but not me.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
Project lead Tracey Hamston said the births were the "news we were waiting for" and were hopeful more young pine martens, called kits, would be spotted soon.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
Conservationists say pine martens are "doing well" after being being reintroduced to parts of south-west England.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
Their plans include bringing in large herbivores including ponies, hardy cattle and eventually even bison to graze the land naturally, and there are hopes pine martens, beavers and golden eagles could recolonise the landscape.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2025
Pine martens are roaming around Exmoor National Park for the first time in a century, conservationists have revealed.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025
I have seen rabbits outwit foxes and watched red squirrels tease martens and get away with it, but this time it was not to be.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
