ferret
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L296441 on Wikidata ↗verb
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L331699 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈfɛɹɪt/
noun
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *bʰléh₃s Proto-Italic *flōs Latin flōrem Italian fiore Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tosder.? Late Latin -ittus Italian -etto Italian fiorettobor. English ferret Borrowed from Italian fioretto.
- A tape of silk, cotton, or ribbon, used to tie documents, clothing, etc. or along the edge of fabric.
“red tape and green ferret”
verb
Etymology: From Middle English furet, ferret, from Old French furet, from Vulgar Latin *furittum (“weasel, ferret”), diminutive of Latin fūr (“thief”).
- To hunt game with ferrets.
- To uncover and bring to light by searching; usually to ferret out.
“Master Fer! I'll fer him, and firk him, and ferret him.”
“I confess that we were so unpopular with the outrageous mob, that I only got away from England at the risk of being ducked to death, and that Cly was so ferreted up and down, that he never would have got away at all but for that sham.”