ferret

7 definitions found

ferret - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Ferret \Fer"ret\, n. [Ital. foretto, dim. of fiore flower; or F.
     fleuret. Cf. Floret.]
     A kind of narrow tape, usually made of woolen; sometimes of
     cotton or silk; -- called also ferreting.
     [1913 Webster]

  Ferret \Fer"ret\, n. [F. feret, dim. or fer iron, L. ferrum.]
     (Glass Making)
     The iron used for trying the melted glass to see if is fit to
     work, and for shaping the rings at the mouths of bottles.
     [1913 Webster]

  Ferret \Fer"ret\, n. [F. furet, cf. LL. furo; prob. fr. L. fur
     thief (cf. Furtive); cf. Arm. fur wise, sly.] (Zool.)
     An animal of the Weasel family (Mustela furo syn. Putorius furo
     ), about fourteen inches in length, of a pale yellow or
     white color, with red eyes. It is a native of Africa, but has
     been domesticated in Europe. Ferrets are used to drive
     rabbits and rats out of their holes. They are sometimes kept
     as pets.
     [1913 Webster +PJC]

  Ferret \Fer"ret\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ferreted; p. pr. & vb.
     n. Ferreting.] [Cf. F. fureter. See Ferret, n.]
     To drive or hunt out of a lurking place, as a ferret does the
     cony; to search out by patient and sagacious efforts; --
     often used with out; as, to ferret out a secret.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Master Fer! I'll fer him, and firk him, and ferret him.
                                                    --Shak.
     [1913 Webster]

ferret - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  ferret
      n 1: musteline mammal of prairie regions of United States;
           nearly extinct [syn: black-footed ferret, ferret,
           Mustela nigripes]
      2: domesticated albino variety of the European polecat bred for
         hunting rats and rabbits
      v 1: hound or harry relentlessly
      2: hunt with ferrets
      3: search and discover through persistent investigation; "She
         ferreted out the truth" [syn: ferret out, ferret]

ferret - Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary :

  Ferret
  Lev. 11:30 (R.V., "gecko"), one of the unclean creeping things.
  It was perhaps the Lacerta gecko which was intended by the
  Hebrew word (anakah, a cry, "mourning," the creature which
  groans) here used, i.e., the "fan-footed" lizard, the gecko
  which makes a mournful wail. The LXX. translate it by a word
  meaning "shrew-mouse," of which there are three species in
  Palestine. The Rabbinical writers regard it as the hedgehog. The
  translation of the Revised Version is to be preferred.

ferret - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  34 Moby Thesaurus words for "ferret":
     Argus, Cape polecat, ape, bar, bear, cat, cavy, chimp, chimpanzee,
     coon, eagle, foumart, glutton, groundhog, guinea pig, hawk,
     hedgehog, lynx, monk, monkey, mousehound, opossum, polecat,
     porcupine, possum, prairie dog, quill pig, raccoon, skunk, weasel,
     whistle-pig, wolverine, woodchuck, zoril