black-footed ferret

[ blak-foot-id ]

noun

1. a weasellike polecat, Mustela nigripes, of prairie regions of the U.S., having a yellowish-brown body with the tip of the tail and legs black: an endangered species.

Word History and Origins

Origin of black-footed ferret¹

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Example Sentences

The black-footed ferret is the terrible enemy of prairie dogs.

From Project Gutenberg