marten

[ mahr-tn ]

/ ˈmɑr tn /

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noun, plural mar·tens, (especially collectively) mar·ten.

any of several slender, chiefly arboreal carnivores of the genus Martes, of northern forests, having a long, glossy coat and bushy tail.

the fur of such an animal, generally a dark brown.

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Origin of marten

1375–1425; <Middle Low German, equivalent to mart marten (cognate with Old English mearth) + -en-en⁵; 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-in¹

Words nearby marten

martel, martelé, martellato, Martello tower, martempering, marten, martensite, Martha, Martha's Vineyard, Martha Washington chair, Martha Washington table

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

How to use marten in a sentence

The stone martens didn’t turn up at the sites at all, while badgers seemed unperturbed.
The curious case of an endangered wildcat and a disappearing fruit tree|April Reese|August 3, 2022|Popular-Science
Using a test score alone to judge a school was unethical, Marten argued.
The Learning Curve: Education Can’t Solve Poverty Alone, But It Should Do Its Part|Will Huntsberry|February 11, 2022|Voice of San Diego
There was a massive power outage that turned out to be the result of a small mammal now thought to be a marten weasel, which chewed through some power lines and sadly died, but not before taking the LHC with it, albeit temporarily.
Death ‘by planet’ was surprisingly common in the 1600s|PopSci Staff|November 24, 2021|Popular-Science
Williamson and Maxwell were no fans of Marten – nor current school board leaders like Richard Barrera who helped put her in power.
The Learning Curve: What We Know About San Diego Unified’s Superintendent Search|Will Huntsberry|July 22, 2021|Voice of San Diego

They tried to push several senators to vote “no” on Marten’s confirmation, but ultimately Marten made it through the confirmation process with relative ease.
Morning Report: City Subpoenas Ash St. Documents|Voice of San Diego|May 12, 2021|Voice of San Diego
When recounting her trip to her friend Glen (Marten Holder Weiner), Sally summed up her visit to Manhattan in one word: “Dirty.”
‘Mad Men’ Finale and Video of Best Season 5 Moments|Jace Lacob|June 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Small Bright Brown—dubbed with camel's hair, and marten's yellow fur mixed, wings pale feather of a starling.
The Teesdale Angler|R Lakeland
The marten makes a nest of moss, grass and leaves, in a hollow tree or log or among rocks.
Muskrat City|Henry Abbott
In the woods his food is similar to that of the marten, although he cannot climb a tree to capture his prey.
Muskrat City|Henry Abbott
Cocking his head on one side, the marten regarded the swaying nest critically out of his bright black eyes.
Wild Folk|Samuel Scoville
With a flying leap, the marten reached the spruce and flashed up the trunk, with never a look behind.
Wild Folk|Samuel Scoville

British Dictionary definitions for marten

marten

/ (ˈmɑːtɪn) /

noun plural -tens or -ten

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 furSee also pine marten

the highly valued fur of these animals, esp that of M. americana

Word Origin for marten

C15: from Middle Dutch martren, from Old French (peau) martrine skin of a marten, from martre, probably of Germanic origin

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