musteline

[ muhs-tl-ahyn, -in ]

/ ˈmʌs tlˌaɪn, -ɪn /

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adjective

belonging or pertaining to the family Mustelidae, including the martens, skunks, minks, weasels, badgers, and otters.

resembling a weasel.

tawny or brown, like a weasel in summer.

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Origin of musteline

1650–60; <Latin mustēlīnus, equivalent to mustēl(a) weasel + -īnus-ine¹

Words nearby musteline

mustard gas, mustard oil, mustard plaster, mustee, mustelid, musteline, muster, Muster Day, muster in, muster roll, musth

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

How to use musteline in a sentence

The small mandibular ramus of a musteline referred by Dr. Roth to Mephitis suffocans, does not pertain to this genus and species.
Through the Heart of Patagonia|H. Hesketh Prichard

British Dictionary definitions for musteline

musteline

/ (ˈmʌstɪˌlaɪn, -lɪn) /

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Mustelidae, a family of typically predatory mammals including weasels, ferrets, minks, polecats, badgers, skunks, and otters: order Carnivora (carnivores)

noun

any musteline animal

Word Origin for musteline

C17: from Latin mustēlīnus, from mustēla weasel, from mūs mouse + -tēla, of unknown 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