Adjacent Words

Polecat definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PO'LECAT, n. A quadruped of the genus Mustela; the fitchew or fitchet.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: American musteline mammal typically ejecting an intensely malodorous fluid when startled; in some classifications put in a separate subfamily Mephitinae [syn: skunk, polecat, wood pussy]
2: dark brown mustelid of woodlands of Eurasia that gives off an unpleasant odor when threatened [syn: polecat, fitch, foulmart, foumart, Mustela putorius]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural polecats or polecat) Etymology: Middle English polcat, probably from Middle French poul, pol cock + Middle English cat; probably from its preying on poultry — more at pullet Date: 14th century 1. any of several carnivorous mammals (as of the genera Mustela or Vormela) of the weasel family; especially a brown to black European mammal (M. putorius) from which the domesticated ferret is derived 2. skunk

Britannica Concise

Any of several principally terrestrial mammals of the carnivore family Mustelidae, found in Eurasia and Africa. The polecat hunts at night, feeding on small mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, fishes, and eggs. Species differ in size and color. The European, or common, polecat (Mustela putorius), also called foul marten for its odor, weighs 1-3 lbs (0.5-1.4 kg) and is 14-21 in. (35-53 cm) long, excluding the 5-8-in. (13-20-cm) bushy tail. Its long, coarse fur is brown above, black below. In the U.S., skunks are often called polecats. See also ferret.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 Brit. a small European brownish-black fetid flesh-eating mammal, Mustela putorius, of the weasel family. 2 US a skunk. Etymology: pole (unexplained) + CAT

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Polecat Pole"cat`, n. [Probably fr. F. poule hen, and originally, a poultry cat, because it feeds on poultry. See Poultry.] (Zo["o]l.) (a) A small European carnivore of the Weasel family (Putorius f[oe]tidus). Its scent glands secrete a substance of an exceedingly disagreeable odor. Called also fitchet, foulmart, and European ferret. (b) The zorilla. The name is also applied to other allied species.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(polecats) A polecat is a small, thin, fierce wild animal. Polecats have a very unpleasant smell. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. [Of Europe.] Fitchew, fitch, fitchet, weasel, foumart, foulmart (Mustela putorius). 2. [Of North America.] Mink, minx (Mustela vison).

Moby Thesaurus

Cape polecat, animal, ape, bar, bear, beast, cavy, chimp, chimpanzee, coon, cur, dog, ferret, foumart, glutton, groundhog, guinea pig, hedgehog, hound, hyena, insect, mongrel, monk, monkey, mousehound, opossum, pig, porcupine, possum, prairie dog, quill pig, raccoon, reptile, rotten egg, serpent, skunk, snake, stink ball, stink bomb, stinkard, stinker, stinkpot, swine, varmint, vermin, viper, weasel, whelp, whistle-pig, wolverine, woodchuck, worm, zoril