Ermine moth

Ermine moth
Ermine Er"mine, n. [OF. ermine, F. hermine, prob. of German origin; cf. OHG. harmo, G. hermelin, akin to Lith. szarm?, szarmonys, weasel, cf. AS. hearma; but cf. also LL. armelinus, armellina, hermellina, and pellis Armenia, the fur of the Armenian rat, mus Armenius, the animal being found also in Armenia.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) A valuable fur-bearing animal of the genus Mustela ({M. erminea}), allied to the weasel; the stoat. It is found in the northern parts of Asia, Europe, and America. In summer it is brown, but in winter it becomes white, except the tip of the tail, which is always black. [1913 Webster]

2. The fur of the ermine, as prepared for ornamenting garments of royalty, etc., by having the tips of the tails, which are black, arranged at regular intervals throughout the white. [1913 Webster]

3. By metonymy, the office or functions of a judge, whose state robe, lined with ermine, is emblematical of purity and honor without stain. --Chatham. [1913 Webster]

4. (Her.) One of the furs. See {Fur} (Her.) [1913 Webster]

Note: Ermine is represented by an argent field, tufted with black. Ermines is the reverse of ermine, being black, spotted or timbered with argent. Erminois is the same as ermine, except that or is substituted for argent. [1913 Webster]

{Ermine moth} (Zo["o]l.), a white moth with black spots (esp. {Yponomeuta padella} of Europe); -- so called on account of the resemblance of its covering to the fur of the ermine; also applied to certain white bombycid moths of America. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Ermine moth — Taxobox name = Ermine moth image width = 250px image caption = Ailanthus Webworm, Atteva punctella regnum = Animalia phylum = Arthropoda classis = Insecta ordo = Lepidoptera subordo = Ditrysia superfamilia = Yponomeutoidea familia = Yponomeutidae …   Wikipedia

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  • ermine moth — noun 1. : any of several small white moths (genus Yponomeuta and especially Y. padella) with black spots suggesting ermine 2. : any of various rather large moths of the family Arctiidae with markings suggesting ermine …   Useful english dictionary

  • Chestnut Ermine Moth — Conservation status Extinct (IUCN 2.3) Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

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  • ermine — [ ə:mɪn] noun (plural same or ermines) 1》 a stoat.     ↘the white winter fur of the stoat, used for trimming the ceremonial robes of judges or peers.     ↘Heraldry fur represented as black spots on a white ground, as a heraldic tincture. 2》 a… …   English new terms dictionary

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  • diamondback moth — a moth, Plutella maculipennis, having brownish wings marked with diamond shaped, yellow spots in the male, the larvae of which feed on the leaves of cabbages and other cruciferous plants. Also called cabbage moth. * * * ▪ insect       species of… …   Universalium

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