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Added 10 October 2026

weasel

/ˈwiːz(ə)l/ noun

Categories: PeopleAnimalsRare Words

In Latin: mūstēla Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about weasel at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. 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.
  2. A least weasel (Mustela nivalis).
  3. Any of certain other species of the family Mustelidae.

verb

  1. To achieve by clever or devious means.
  2. To gain something for oneself by clever or devious means.
  3. To engage in clever or devious behavior.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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