ermine

Meaning

Noun

1. A weasel found in northern latitudes (Mustela erminea in Eurasia, Alaska, and the Arctic, Mustela haidarum in Haida Gwaii, Mustela richardsonii in the rest of North America); its dark brown fur turns white in winter, apart from the black tip of the tail.
2. The white fur of this animal, traditionally seen as a symbol of purity and used for judges' robes.
3. The office of a judge.
4. The fur of this animal, used as a heraldic tincture: a white field with a repeating pattern of stylized black spots.
5. Any of various moths, especially in the family Yponomeutidae

Adj

In blazon, of the colour ermine (white with black spots).

Verb

To clothe with ermine.

Synonyms

stoat

short-tailed weasel

mink

Mustela erminea

shorttail weasel

weasel

marten pelt

ermine fur

Nearctic ermine

common stoat

ferret

stoat skin

marten

miniver

kolinsky

mountain weasel

raw sable skin

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɜːmɪn/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: ermine

Cognate with Old French: ermine

Cognate with Old Dutch: *harmino

Cognate with Dutch: hermelijn

Cognate with Old English: hearma

Cognate with Old High German: harmo

Cognate with German: Harm

Cognate with Romansh: carmun

Cognate with Lithuanian: šarmuõ

In summary

From Middle English ermine, ermin, ermyn, from Old French ermin, ermine, hermine.
There are two main theories for the origin of Old French ermine. Germanic origin is suggested via Old Dutch *harmino (“stoat skin”), from *harmo (“stoat, weasel”) (compare Dutch hermelijn and dialectal herm), from Proto-Germanic *harmǭ, *harmô (compare Old English hearma, Old High German harmo (harmin (adjective), obsolete German Harm), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱormō (compare Romansch carmun, obsolete Lithuanian šarmuõ). Romance sources identify the animal with the corresponding word for Armenian, possibly from Medieval Latin mūs Armenius (“Armenian mouse”) or a posterior compound.