ferret

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   domesticated albino variety of the European polecat bred for hunting rats and rabbits

   I keep two ferrets in my home.

2. 2
   noun

   musteline mammal of prairie regions of United States

   The farm was filled with ferrets.

3. 3
   verb

   to search and discover through persistent investigation

   They ferreted around before finding the truth.

4. 4
   verb

   to hunt with ferrets

   I often go ferreting on the weekends.

Multiword verbs with ferret

• ferret out Phrasal verb C2

  to discover something hidden through persistent searching

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Ferret entered English in late Middle English from Old French fuiret and ultimately derives from Latin fur “thief.” The animal was probably so named because ferrets were known for stealing birds’ eggs.

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

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary