ferret C2 Topic:Register & Style US /ˈfɛɹɪt/ See IPA manual Freq #17348 Meanings 1 noun domesticated albino variety of the European polecat bred for hunting rats and rabbits I keep two ferrets in my home. 2 noun musteline mammal of prairie regions of United States The farm was filled with ferrets. 3 verb to search and discover through persistent investigation They ferreted around before finding the truth. 4 verb to hunt with ferrets I often go ferreting on the weekends. Thesaurus Synonyms 3 verb · to search and discover... ferret out Word family Derived forms ferret-badgerferret-facedferret-leggingferreterferretlikeferretyhob-ferret Related forms furtive Common collocations ferret out Verb + adverb Etymology From Middle English furet, ferret, from Old French furet, from Vulgar Latin *furittum (“weasel, ferret”), diminutive of Latin fūr (“thief”). Topics Register & Style External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # ferret **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** noun, verb **IPA (US):** /ˈfɛɹɪt/ **Frequency rank:** 17348 ## Meanings 1. domesticated albino variety of the European polecat bred for hunting rats and rabbits 2. musteline mammal of prairie regions of United States 3. to search and discover through persistent investigation 4. to hunt with ferrets ## Examples - I keep two ferrets in my home. - The farm was filled with ferrets. - They ferreted around before finding the truth. - I often go ferreting on the weekends. ## Synonyms - ferret out ## Derived Forms - ferret-badger - ferret-faced - ferret-legging - ferreter - ferretlike - ferrety - hob-ferret ## Related Forms - furtive ## Etymology From Middle English furet, ferret, from Old French furet, from Vulgar Latin *furittum (“weasel, ferret”), diminutive of Latin fūr (“thief”). ## Topics - Register & Style markdown