different between mink vs ermine

English

Etymology

From Late Middle English mink (“fur of the European mink”), apparently from Swedish mink, mänk, menk (“stinking animal in Finland, mink”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: m?ngk, IPA^(key): /m??k/
• Rhymes: -??k

Noun

mink (plural mink or minks)

1. (plural mink or minks) Any of various semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals in the Mustelinae subfamily, similar to weasels, with dark fur, native to Europe and America, of which two species in different genera are extant: the American mink (Neovison vison) and the European mink (Mustela lutreola).
2. (plural mink) The fur or pelt of a mink, used to make apparel.
3. (plural minks) An article of clothing made of mink.
4. (Scotland, slang, derogatory) (plural minks) An individual with poor personal hygiene; a smelly person.

Alternative forms

• minx (obsolete)

Hyponyms

• (mammal): American mink (Neovison vison), European mink (Mustela lutreola)

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• polecat

References

Further reading

• mink on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• mink (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Danish

Noun

mink c (singular definite minken, plural indefinite mink)

1. mink

References

• “mink” in Den Danske Ordbog

Estonian

Etymology 1

From English mink.

Noun

mink (genitive mingi, partitive minki)

1. American mink, Neovison vison

Declension

Synonyms

• ameerika naarits

Etymology 2

From German Schminke.

Noun

mink (genitive mingi, partitive minki)

1. (dated) makeup, cosmetics

Declension

Synonyms

• meik

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?mi?k]
• Hyphenation: mink
• Rhymes: -i?k

Etymology 1

Pronoun

mink

1. (personal, folksy) Alternative form of mi (“we”).

Declension

Etymology 2

mi (“what”) +? -nk (“our, of ours”, possessive suffix)

Pronoun

mink

1. first-person plural single-possession possessive of mi

Declension

Further reading

• (“we”; dialectal) mink , redirecting to (1): mi in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh: A magyar nyelv értelmez? szótára (’The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: ?ISBN

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m??k/

Etymology 1

From English mink.

Noun

mink m (definite singular minken, indefinite plural minkar, definite plural minkane)

1. an American mink, Neovison vison or Mustela vison
   • 1928, Edv. Ryste, Mink-al:

     Å ala mink er eit gildt arbeid for alle som er glade i dyr; for det er eit vakkert dyr med mange tiltalande eigenskapar […]

     Breeding mink is pleasant work for everyone who loves animals; as it is a beautiful animal with many appealing properties […]

Etymology 2

Verb

mink

1. imperative of minka

References

• “mink” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Finnish or another Uralic language in a region where the mink is found.

Noun

mink c

1. American mink (Neovison vison).

Declension

References

• Hogg & Denison (2008): A History of the English Language

English

Etymology

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 *harm?, *harmô (compare Old English hearma, Old High German harmo (harmin (adjective), obsolete German Harm), from Proto-Indo-European *?orm? (compare Romansch carmun, obsolete Lithuanian šarmuõ). Romance sources identify the animal with the corresponding word for Armenian, possibly from Medieval Latin m?s Armenius (“Armenian mouse”) or a posterior compound.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???m?n/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /??m?n/
• Rhymes: -??(?)m?n

Noun

ermine (countable and uncountable, plural ermines or ermine)

1. A weasel, Mustela erminea, found in northern latitudes; 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. (by extension, figuratively) The office of a judge.
4. (heraldry) A white field with black spots.

Synonyms

• stoat (British)
• short-tailed weasel
• wild otter

Translations

Adjective

ermine (not comparable)

1. (heraldry): In blazon, of the colour hermine (white with black spots).

Translations

Verb

ermine (third-person singular simple present ermines, present participle ermining, simple past and past participle ermined)

1. To clothe with ermine.

Anagrams

• ReMine, Remine, emerin, enmire, remine

Middle English

Noun

ermine

1. Alternative form of ermyn

Old French

Alternative forms

• ermin

Noun

ermine f (oblique plural ermines, nominative singular ermine, nominative plural ermines)

1. ermine (fabric)
   • circa 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide:

     La pane fu de blanc ermine