POLECAT DEFINITIONS - 10 definitions found
polecat 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] polecat pacolet polecat 1320, first element is probably Anglo-Fr. pol, from O.Fr. poule "fowl, hen," so called because it preys on poultry. The other alternative is that the first element is from O.Fr. pulent "stinking," for obvious reasons. Originally the European Putorius foetidus; also applied to related U.S. skunks since 1688. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) polecat 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 Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary polecat (polecats) A polecat is a small, thin, fierce wild animal. Polecats have a very unpleasant smell. N-COUNT English Explanatory Dictionary polecat ˈpəulkæt n. 1 Brit. a small European brownish-black fetid flesh-eating mammal, Mustela putorius, of the weasel family. 2 US a skunk. [pole (unexplained) + CAT] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) 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. Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms polecat n. 1. [Of Europe.] Fitchew, fitch, fitchet, weasel, foumart, foulmart (Mustela putorius). 2. [Of North America.] Mink, minx (Mustela vison). Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 53 Moby Thesaurus words for "polecat": 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 |
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