mink

[mingk]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mink ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural minks, (especially collectively) mink.

a semiaquatic weasellike animal of the genus Mustela, especially the North American M. vison.

the fur of this animal, brownish in the natural state and having lustrous outside hairs and a thick, soft undercoat.

a coat, stole, etc., made of this fur.

Origin of mink

1425–75; late Middle English, of uncertain origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for mink

frock, raincoat, overcoat, cloak, jacket, suit, wrap, tuxedo, windbreaker, threads, trench, cape, tux, anorak, slicker, mink, ulster, cutaway, mackinaw, topcoat

Examples from the Web for mink

Contemporary Examples of mink

This past January, the idea of MINK came to Choi—the concept, from thought to finished product, took roughly a month.
This 3-D Printer Can Change Fashion's Diversity Problem
Erin Cunningham
June 9, 2014
One 1918 example, in wispy silk chiffon and lace is even trimmed in mink!
What Lies Beneath: How Lingerie Got Sexy
Raquel Laneri
June 5, 2014
How cold does it have to be to justify one of their mink dresses?
New York Fashion Week: Top-Trends Roundup
Robin Givhan
February 17, 2012

Historical Examples of mink

I also told Aunt Belle to see about relining my mink cape and muff.
The Gorgeous Girl
Nalbro Bartley
Then he will return to the Great Lake and trap the marten and the mink.
The Gaunt Gray Wolf
Dillon Wallace
Mink arose, but no sooner was he on his feet than his courage returned.
They of the High Trails
Hamlin Garland
Mink is a dead shot, and probably wire-edged with whisky and expecting me.
They of the High Trails
Hamlin Garland
Mink was not in sight, but the barkeeper stood rigidly on duty.
They of the High Trails
Hamlin Garland

British Dictionary definitions for mink

mink

noun plural mink or minks

any of several semiaquatic musteline mammals of the genus Mustela, of Europe, Asia, and North America, having slightly webbed feet

the highly valued fur of these animals, esp that of the American mink (M. vison)

a garment made of this, esp a woman's coat or stole

Word Origin for mink

C15: from Scandinavian; compare Danish mink, Swedish mänk

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

Word Origin and History for mink

early 15c., "skin or fur of the mink," from a Scandinavian source (cf. Swedish menk "a stinking animal in Finland"). Applied in English to the animal itself from 1620s.