polecat
Americannoun
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polecats,
plural
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polecat
plural
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a European mammal, Mustela putorius, of the weasel family, having a blackish fur and ejecting a fetid fluid when attacked or disturbed.
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any of various North American skunks.
noun
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Also called (formerly): foumart. a dark brown musteline mammal, Mustela putorius, of woodlands of Europe, Asia, and N Africa, that is closely related to but larger than the weasel and gives off an unpleasant smell See also sweet marten
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any of various related animals, such as the marbled polecat, Vormela peregusna
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a nontechnical name for skunk
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of polecat
1275–1325; Middle English polcat, perhaps equivalent to Middle French pol, poul “chicken” (< Latin pullus ) + cat ( def. )
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:
Other species that have gotten infected around the world include a badger, bobcat, coyote, dolphin, ferret, fisher cat, fox, lynx, opossum, otter, pig, polecat, porpoise, raccoon, raccoon dog and multiple minks and seals.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 22, 2023
However, it is good news for the otter, pine marten, polecat and badger, which have all seen their populations and geographical range spread.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2018
I can’t deny that I’ve watched the polecat sequence upwards of a dozen times, but Miller’s film truly comes alive in Furiosa’s howl of desperation, and in Max’s noble disappearance into the throng.
From The Guardian ● May 29, 2018
“We’re preparing for everything. Some wildcat, polecat, everything. Don’t be surprised if they come out there with that ‘Little Giants’ formation or the Flying V. They’ve got something up their sleeve.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 16, 2016
Gale the polecat skittered around the goddess’s feet, farting and gnashing her teeth.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
So far, erythrism has been identified in dozens of species, including reef manta rays, leopards, and European polecats.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 12, 2024
One introductionist I spoke to, Graham Wellstead, has released hundreds of polecats into the English countryside, helping this once-persecuted small carnivore spread across the south and east of the country once again.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 13, 2020
"Some species are doing well, so carnivores, for example, like polecats and pine martens, they seem to be bouncing back," she said.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2018
Director Miller is liked and respected by his peers and, at the age of 70, has delivered a film opera big enough to contain feminist ambitions, chainsaw-wielding polecats and barking mad humor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2016
"Ha' you any rats, mice, polecats, or weasels, or any old cows sick o' the measles?"
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
