Definition of ermine Ermine

/ɚˈmʌn/ - [ermun] - er•mine

We found 16 definitions of ermine from 6 different sources.

What does ermine mean?

Noun Plural: ermines
ermine - mustelid of northern hemisphere in its white winter coat
		shorttail weasel, Mustela erminea
		weasel small carnivorous mammal with short legs and elongated body and neck
ermine - the expensive white fur of the ermine

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ermine (Noun)
A weasel, , found in northern latitudes; its dark brown fur turns white in winter.
ermine (Noun)
The white fur of this animal.
ermine (Noun)
A symbol of purity.
ermine (Noun)
The office of a judge.
ermine (Noun)
A white field with black spots.
ermine (Verb)
To clothe with ermine.

ermine (n.)
A valuable fur-bearing animal of the genus Mustela (M. erminea), allied to the weasel; the stoat. It is found in the northern parts of Asia, Europe, and America. In summer it is brown, but in winter it becomes white, except the tip of the tail, which is always black.
ermine (n.)
The fur of the ermine, as prepared for ornamenting garments of royalty, etc., by having the tips of the tails, which are black, arranged at regular intervals throughout the white.
ermine (n.)
By metonymy, the office or functions of a judge, whose state robe, lined with ermine, is emblematical of purity and honor without stain.
ermine (n.)
One of the furs. See Fur (Her.)
ermine (v. t.)
To clothe with, or as with, ermine.

ermine
ėr′min, n. a well-known carnivore belonging to the genus which includes polecat, weasel, ferret, &c.—its white fur often used as an emblem of purity: ermine fur used for the robes of judges and magistrates.—adj. Er′mined, adorned with ermine. [O. Fr. ermine (Fr. hermine), perh. from L. (mus) Armenius, lit. mouse of Armenia, whence it was brought to Rome; but acc. to Skeat from Old High Ger. harmin (Ger. hermelin), ermine-fur.]