weasel

CEFRB1

/ˈwiːz(ə)l/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A small thin animal with short legs and a long body.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A least weasel (Mustela nivalis).

Examples

  • ‘Wezel’ is the Dutch for ‘weasel’. Both are derived from the Proto-Germanic *wisulǭ.

  • The weasel is noted for its bad smell.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • /ˈwizəl/
  • /ˈwizl̩/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Any of certain other species of the family Mustelidae.

  2. Any of the carnivorous mammals of the genera Mustela, Neogale, Poecilogale, and Lyncodon, having a slender body, a long tail and usually a light brown upper coat and light-coloured belly.

  3. A type of yarn winder used for counting the yardage of handspun yarn; spinner's weasel. It most commonly has a wooden peg or dowel that pops up from the gearing mechanism after a certain number of yards have been wound onto the winder.

More examples

In context

  • Prisoners are notorious for weaseling day passes to get out of lockup […] .

  • An old traditional prescription for provoking erotic inclinations ran as follows, The toe of the foot of a man, anointed with oil, or honey, or the ashes of a weasel.

  • Authority figures have a history of weaseling on this topic.

Synonyms

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Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English wesele, from Old English weosule, from Proto-West Germanic *wisulā, from Proto-Germanic *wisulǭ. The verb is from c. 1900, from the supposed cunningness of the weasel.