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
Pine marten researchers Johnny Birks and John Martin are trying to establish if pine martens can thrive in productive timber forests.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2024
"Trees in plantations tend to be quite young, and so don't have the cavities that pine marten like to rest and breed in," he said.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2024
FLS is also adding more artificial dens across the country as the pine marten is a natural predator of grey squirrels and can help to boost red squirrel numbers.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2024
The marten sleepily protested, but Farid tickled his head and strapped up the pack.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
Conservationists say pine martens are "doing well" after being being reintroduced to parts of south-west England.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
Pine martens were once common in the South West, but a loss of their woodland habitat and human persecution caused their extinction, conservationists said.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 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
Dr Hamston said the release of the pine martens showed "all is not lost".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025
“Mo, did you know that martens have horns?” she asked.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
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