ermine means in blazon, of the colour ermine (white with black spots). It carries an Arena rating of 1634, earned across 36 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, ermine ranks #797 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #1,017 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #1,248 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,289 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
ermine is pronounced /ˈɜːmɪn/.
Why “ermine” is a great word
ERMINE — [Noun, Adjective, Verb] A northern weasel whose coat molts from summer brown to winter white; the precious white winter fur itself, used to trim ceremonial robes; and, by metonymy, the judicial or regal office it symbolizes. From Middle English *ermine*, from Old French *ermin*, *ermine*, *hermine*. The ultimate origin is uncertain, with two main theories: from a Germanic source (compare Old Dutch *harmino*, "stoat skin") or from a Romance source linking it to Medieval Latin *mūs Armenius* ("Armenian mouse"). Unlike "stoat," which names the creature in all seasons, or "weasel," a general term for the genus, "ermine" evokes the specific, prized winter pelt and the austere dignity it clothes. It is the stark, black-tipped white against scarlet judicial velvet; the spectral creature moving soundlessly over a field of new snow; the weightless chill of a coronation mantle. A symbol of purity woven from a predator's seasonal camouflage—a soft, cold ideal that nature itself does not uphold.
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 *harmǭ, *harmô (compare Old English hearma, Old High German harmo (harmin (adjective), obsolete German Harm), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱormō (compare Romansh carmun, obsolete Lithuanian šarmuõ). Romance sources identify the animal with the corresponding word for Armenian, possibly from Medieval Latin mūs Armenius (“Armenian mouse”) or a posterior compound.
adj
- In blazon, of the colour ermine (white with black spots).
noun
- A weasel found in northern latitudes (Mustela erminea in Eurasia, Alaska, and the Arctic, Mustela haidarum in Haida Gwaii, Mustela richardsonii in the rest of North America); its dark brown fur turns white in winter, apart from the black tip of the tail.
- The white fur of this animal, traditionally seen as a symbol of purity and used for judges' robes.
- The office of a judge.
- The fur of this animal, used as a heraldic tincture: a white field with a repeating pattern of stylized black spots.
- Any of various moths, especially in the family Yponomeutidae
verb
- To clothe with ermine.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- erminelike 72% match — Resembling or characteristic of ermine. vs ermine →
- ermines 69% match — In blazon, coloured with a heraldic fur of a black field with white spots; counter-ermine. vs ermine →
- miniver 62% match — A light gray or white fur used to trim the robes of judges or state executives, also used in medieval times. vs ermine →
- erd 54% match — The common European shrew (Sorex vulgaris); the shrewmouse or erd shrew. vs ermine →
- unermined 53% match — Not ermined. vs ermine →
- sable 53% match — A small carnivorous mammal of the Old World that resembles a weasel, Martes zibellina, from cold regions in Eurasia and the North Pacific islands, valued for its dark brown fur. vs ermine →
- vair 52% match — A type of fur from a squirrel with a grey back and white belly, much used on garments in the Middle Ages. vs ermine →
- underfur 52% match — The thick, soft undercoat of some mammals, especially those that spend time in the water vs ermine →