# Ferret animal



## j.Constantine

Hello  i wonder

How do you say in your languaje ferret an mustelidae small animal?

Thanks


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## Olaszinhok

j.Constantine said:


> How do you say in your languaje ferret an mustelidae small animal?


Why didn't you start by saying that in Spanish?! 

*Furetto* in Italian from Latin _fur-furis_ (thief), due to its ability to drive out wild rabbits.

*Hurón* in Spanish, strangely enough, _hurón _has the same etymology as Italian _furetto_ but with the dropped initial F, which is quite common in Spanish.


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## j.Constantine

I didnt think about that i use to write  some things english normally so all can undestand


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## Welsh_Sion

*Cymraeg/Welsh

ffured, ffuret, ffurell* (all feminine nouns).

Welsh letter *<ff>* is always */f/*. (It's not a typo.)


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## apmoy70

Greek:

*«Νυφίτσα»* [niˈfi.ʦ͡a] (fem.) < ByzGr fem. diminutive *«νυ(μ)φίτσα» ny(m)phítsa* of fem. *«νύ(μ)φη» ný(m)phē* < Classical fem. noun *«νύμφη» númpʰē* --> _bride, young lady, nymph (lesser goddess of rivers/lakes/forests)_, from possible PIE root *sneu̯bʰ- cf Lat. nūbere + productive suffix in Byz & MoGr to form fem. diminutives *«-ίτσα»* [-íʦ͡a] influenced from the Byz.Gr. neut. diminutive *«-ίτσιν» -ítsin* following tsitakism (affrication of [k] > [ʦ]) of Koine *«-ίκιν» -íkin* < Classical neut. diminutive suffix
*«-ίκιον» -íkiŏn*.
In Ancient Greek the animal's name was *«γαλέη/γαλῆ» găléē* (fem. uncontracted)/*«γαλῆ» gălê* (contracted), from PIE *gl̥Hi-/*gl̥h₁eu̯s- _mouse, dormouse, weasel_ cf Skt. गिरि (girí), _mouse_, Lat. glīs, _dormouse_. According to Beekes:


			
				Beekes said:
			
		

> ...the formation of γαλέη shows that the word originally indicated the skin cf ἀλωπεκ-έη/ἀλωπεκ-ῆ (ălōpĕkéē/ălōpĕkê), _fox_


Note that γαλέη was used as a pet by the ancient Greeks to hunt down rabbits or mice, but after the import of cats from Egypt, the new animal was much more preferable because the Egyptian hunter was less...stinky than the previous one. Γαλέη/γαλῆ then became the colloquial vernacular name of the new imported animal.

Edit: Added ancient name


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## Awwal12

Russian:
хорёк (khoryók) [xɐ'ɾʲɔk]; the Proto-Slavic etymology is ~"little stinky one".


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## symposium

apmoy70 said:


> In Ancient Greek the animal's name was *«γαλέη/γαλῆ» găléē*


That is why, they say, Leonardo painted Cecilia Gallerani with a ferret in her arms, because of the resemblance of her name with the Greek word for "ferret" (or weasel, or ermine)....


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## Penyafort

*Catalan:*
*fura*

*Aragonese:*
*furón*

All these Romance forms starting with fur- (and the English _ferret _too) come from derivations of the Latin _fur _'thief', and therefore are related to the way of saying "theft" in most Romance languages (_furt, furto, hurto_).


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## Circunflejo

Penyafort said:


> *Aragonese:*
> *furón*


It's the same in Galician and in Asturian although in the later Turón is documented too.


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## KalAlbè

*Furão *in Portuguese


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## Terio

En français : furet /fy'ʀɛ/


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## Torontal

Hungarian:

Polecat is _görény_
Ferret is _vadászgörény _(vadász=hunting).

The word _görény_ is an old loan from a Chuvash/Bulgar/Ogur type Turkic language.


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## apmoy70

Torontal said:


> Hungarian:
> 
> Polecat is _görény_
> Ferret is _vadászgörény _(vadász=hunting).
> 
> The word _görény_ is an old loan from a Chuvash/Bulgar/Ogur type Turkic language.


Polecat in Greek is *«οζοϊκτίς»* [ɔ.zɔ.iˈktis] (fem.) or *«βρωμοκούναβο»* [vrɔ.mɔˈku.na.vɔ] (neut.).
The former is the formal/scientific name and means _strong-smelling marten_ = compound, first element *«ὀζο-» ŏzŏ-* from the Classical verb *«ὄζω» ózō* --> _to smell, scent_ (PIE *h₃ed- _to smell_ cf Lat. odōrāre, Lith. užuosti, _to smell_) + Classical fem. noun *«ἴκτις» íktĭs* --> _marten_ (of unknown etymology).

The latter is the MoGr vernacular name, a hybrid word, and means..._strong-smelling-marten_ = compound, oblique *«βρωμο-»* [vrɔ.mɔ-] as first element in compounds --> _strong-smelling, foul-smelling_ < MoGr fem. noun *«βρώμα»* [ˈvrɔ.ma] --> _foul smell, stench_ < Classical masc. *«βρῶμος» brômŏs* or fem. *«βρῶμα» brômă* --> _stench, ordure_ (of unknown etymology) + MoGr neut. *«κουνάβι»* [kuˈna.vi] --> _marten_ < ByzGr neut. diminutive *«κουνάβι(ο)ν» kounábi(o)n* & *«κουνάδι(ο)ν» kounádi(o)n* < South Slavic куна < Proto-Slavic *kuna, _marten._


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## ThomasK

It iis a _*fret *_in Dutch - and is notorious for nibbling at electric car wires... ;-)


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## merquiades

I've always known this animal as a "polecat".


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## Olaszinhok

ThomasK said:


> fret


Is fret the contraction of ferret?


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## TheCrociato91

merquiades said:


> I've always known this animal as a "polecat".


According to Wikipedia:

*Polecat* (_Mustelinae_) is a carnivorous mammal related to the weasel. Its domesticated variety is referred to as ferret. 

*Polecat* is a common name [...]; the name is applied to several species with broad similarities (including having a dark mask-like marking across the face) to European polecats, the only polecat species native to the British Isles.

In the United States, the term _polecat_ is sometimes applied to the black-footed ferret, a native member of the Mustelinae. In Southern United States dialect, the term _polecat_ is sometimes used as a colloquial nickname for the skunk, which are only distantly related.


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## Roxxxannne

In  the US, I expect 'polecat' is another word for 'skunk' in the East and Midwest.  I've never lived in the southern US, and to me 'polecat' is the same as 'skunk,' and has nothing to do with black-footed ferrets.


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## Agró

*Basque*:
Ipurtats (_Mustela putorius_): Sp. turón, En. European polecat
Hudo (_Mustela putorius furo_): Sp. hurón, En. ferret

(from the wiki)


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## marco_2

In *Polish:*
fretka _(Mustela putorius furo)_
tchórzofretka = polecat-ferret hybrid


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## merquiades

Roxxxannne said:


> In  the US, I expect 'polecat' is another word for 'skunk' in the East and Midwest.  I've never lived in the southern US, and to me 'polecat' is the same as 'skunk,' and has nothing to do with black-footed ferrets.


Really? Skunk and polecat are the same for you? Those are clearly different for me. The word that isn't clear is ferret

Ferret is one of those words I'd never have learned if I hadn't gone abroad. It's the usual  case where someone uses the word and I have no idea what they are talking about. No dictionary helps. I have to do research and then come to the conclusion what it is. It often happens with wild animals


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## Roxxxannne

If I were to name three mustelids off the top of my head, I'd say skunks, weasels, and fishers (aka fisher cats).   Perhaps the reason I associate 'polecat' with 'skunk' more than with ''black-footed ferret' is because I have no idea what a black-footed ferret is.  I do know what a weasel is, though -- the small variety of weasel looks like a ferret -- but I don't think I've ever heard anyone call a weasel a polecat.

I don't think ferrets crossed my consciousness until friends of mine got a couple of them as pets.


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## Olaszinhok

Apparently, skunks are not mustelids, they belong to a separate family:

Mustelid | mammal


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## Roxxxannne

Skunks'll always be mustelids to me.    At least they are still in the 'extended family' of Musteloidea.

Mephitidae -- like mephitic.   If I were a skunk I would not take kindly to that name.


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## merquiades

Roxxxannne said:


> If I were to name three mustelids off the top of my head, I'd say skunks, weasels, and fishers (aka fisher cats).   Perhaps the reason I associate 'polecat' with 'skunk' more than with ''black-footed ferret' is because I have no idea what a black-footed ferret is.  I do know what a weasel is, though -- the small variety of weasel looks like a ferret -- but I don't think I've ever heard anyone call a weasel a polecat.
> 
> I don't think ferrets crossed my consciousness until friends of mine got a couple of them as pets.


People are a bit crazy to have them as pets.  They're small but they're still wild.  I had someone tell me they had one as a pet too and I had to do research to understand what it could be, and I came up with polecat.  

Look at the photo in post number 1,  you wouldn't call that a skunk would you?  Weasles are big things.  Now you stumped me because I don't know what a fisher is.  I checked out the picture on wikipedia.  They look scary.  I'm from too far south to have ever seen one of those animals.


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## Roxxxannne

I would call the animal in #1 a weasel. It's definitely not a skunk.  I'm not saying that what you call a weasel I call a skunk - I'm saying that 'polecat,' the 'nickname' you use for weasel, is the 'nickname' I know for skunk.

The least weasels I've seen are pretty little. They're about the size of a hefty gray squirrel (I'm not counting the tail of either animal) but much more slender. They're definitely smaller than a skunk.


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## AutumnOwl

Swedish: Mustela putorius - iller (a word with unknown origin).
Finnish: hilleri or lahokas (the first from the Swedish, the second is also the name of a kind of mushrooms, might have something to do with the word laho, meaning rotten, the mushroom grows on rotten tree stumps, why the name of the animal I don't know).


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## se16teddy

ThomasK said:


> It iis a _*fret *_in Dutch - and is notorious for nibbling at electric car wires... ;-)


Isn’t the one that eats car parts a different mustelid, the beech marten _Martes foina_? Beech marten - Wikipedia
I think the ferret is a domesticated variant of the polecat _Mustela putorius _European polecat - Wikipedia


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## ThomasK

Owowow, you might be right!


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## hui

AutumnOwl said:


> Swedish: Mustela putorius - iller (a word with unknown origin).
> Finnish: hilleri or lahokas (the first from the Swedish, the second is also the name of a kind of mushrooms, might have something to do with the word laho, meaning rotten, the mushroom grows on rotten tree stumps, why the name of the animal I don't know).



Swedish (according to Wikipedia):
*tamiller* ("tame-polecat") or* frett *= ferret
_*iller*_ = European polecat

Finnish:
_*fretti*_ = ferret
_*hilleri*_ = European polecat
_lahokas_ (dialectal [map], obsolete) = *hilleri*
_lahonäätä_ ( "rot-marten"; dialectal [map], obsolete) = *hilleri*

Several mushrooms end with _*-kas*_ but the mushroom that grows on rotten tree stumps is *lahokka.*


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## djmc

In Britain we have weasels, stoats, (the weasels are weaselly distinguishable and stoats are stoatally different). Both are tiny, stoats always have a black tip to their tail when they are often called ermine, polecats are bigger but not enormous and are quite rare. Ferrets are a tame derivation of polecats and are often white and albino these sometimes go feral but they have been used for hunting mice and rats. Martens are slightly bigger and reddish brown these are rare. Mink have become feral and can  a problem. The largest of the mustelids is the badger. All these are native to Europe and probably commoner than in Britain.


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