ferret

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun musteline mammal of prairie regions of United States; nearly extinct
  2. noun domesticated albino variety of the European polecat bred for hunting rats and rabbits
  3. verb hound or harry relentlessly

Etymology

From Middle English furet, ferret, from Old French furet, from Vulgar Latin *furittum (“weasel, ferret”), diminutive of Latin fūr (“thief”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

black-footed ferret, Mustela nigripes

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