noun
stoat
Stoat (noun) means Mustela erminea, the ermine or short-tailed weasel, a mustelid native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip.
noun
1
Mustela erminea, the ermine or short-tailed weasel, a mustelid native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip.
"European stoats were long ago introduced to New Zealand (along with ferrets and weasels!) in the mistaken belief that they would control the burgeoning populations of introduced rabbits."
— T. C. R. White, Why Does the World Stay Green?: Nutrition and Survival of Plant-eaters (2005)
"In 1953 it was reported that the stoat had increased to a high population level, but that the weasel introduced at the same time had disappeared (de Vos et al. 1956)."
— John Long, Introduced Mammals of the World: Their History (2003)
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Etymology
Comes from Middle English stote ("the ermine, especially in its brown summer coat"), of uncertain origin. It bears some resemblance to Old Norse stutr ("bull"), Swedish stut ("bull, steer") and Danish stud ("steer") (see also English stot), though the semantic link is difficult to make unless a common origin lies in "(brown?) male mammal". It is first attested in the mid 1400s.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for stoat
See all rhymes for stoat →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of stoat?
"stoat" (noun) means mustela erminea, the ermine or short-tailed weasel, a mustelid native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip.
What is another word for stoat?
Other words for "stoat" include ermine.
