different between weasel vs mustelid

English

Alternative forms

• weazel (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English wesele, from Old English weosule, from Proto-West Germanic *wisul?, from Proto-Germanic *wisul?. The verb comes from the supposed cunningness of the weasel.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?wi?z(?)l/
• (General American) enPR: w??z?l, w?z?l, IPA^(key): /?wiz?l/, /?wizl?/
• Rhymes: -i?z?l
• Hyphenation: wea?sel

Noun

weasel (plural weasels)

1. The least weasel, Mustela nivalis.
2. Any of the carnivorous mammals of the genus Mustela, having a slender body, a long tail and usually a light brown upper coat and light-coloured belly.
3. The taxonomic family Mustelidae is also called the weasel family.
4. A devious or sneaky person or animal.
5. A type of yarn winder used for counting the yardage of handspun yarn. It most commonly has a wooden peg or dowel that pops up from the gearing mechanism after a certain number of yards have been wound onto the winder.

Synonyms

• (any of the carnivorous mammals of the genus Mustela): mustela

Hypernyms

• carnivorous mammal

Hyponyms

• least weasel
• mountain weasel
• short-tailed weasel
• Siberian weasel

Derived terms

• iceweasel
• weaselly
• weasely

Related terms

• weasel word

Translations

Verb

weasel (third-person singular simple present weasels, present participle weaseling or weaselling, simple past and past participle weaseled or weaselled)

1. (transitive) To achieve by clever or devious means.
   • 2010 (publication date), Tony Dajer, "Vital Signs", Discover, ISSN 0274-7529, volume 32, number 1, January–February 2011, page 10:

     Prisoners are notorious for weaseling day passes to get out of lockup […] .

2. (transitive or reflexive) To gain something for oneself by clever or devious means.
3. (intransitive) To engage in clever or devious behavior.

Usage notes

• Weaseling and weaseled are more common in the US. Weaselling and weaselled are more common in the UK.

Related terms

• weasel one's way
• weasel out

Translations

See also

• ferret
• mink
• polecat
• stoat

References

• weasel at OneLook Dictionary Search
• weasel in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Further reading

• weasel on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• weales

English

Noun

mustelid (plural mustelids)

1. Any carnivorous mammal of the diverse weasel family Mustelidae, which also includes badgers, otters, martens, mink and wolverines.
   • 1998, Vivian Banci, Chapter 5: Wolverine, Thomas E. Kucera, American Marten, Fisher, Lynx, and Wolverine: Survey Methods for Their Detection, Diane Publishing, page 99,

     Relative to smaller mustelids, the wolverine has a robust appearance, rather like a small bear.

   • 1998, Jon A. Baskin, 9: Mustelidae, Christine M. Janis, Kathleen M. Scott, Louis L. Jacobs, Gregg F. Gunnell, Mark D. Uhen (editors), Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America: Volume 1, Cambridge University Press, page 169,

     Mustelid diversity is well reflected in the Neogene fossil record, in spite of the fact that mustelids are among the rarest of fossil carnivores.

   • 2004, Fred Cooke, The Encyclopedia of Animals: A Complete Visual Guide, University of California Press, page 134,

     The mustelid head has a low, flat skull and short face with small ears and eyes.

Translations

Anagrams

• mutelids