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
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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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
See also sable (def. 1)
Word Origin for marten
C15: from Middle Dutch martren, from Old French (peau) martrine skin of a marten, from martre, probably of Germanic origin
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