polecat

noun

pole·​cat ˈpōl-ˌkat 

plural polecats or polecat

1

: any of several carnivorous mammals (as of the genera Mustela or Vormela) of the weasel family

especially : a brown to black European mammal (M. putorius) from which the domesticated ferret is derived

2

: skunk

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

As with the rest of the car, the face reflects sublimated aggression, as if the polecat has eaten the canary. —Ronald Ahrens, Robb Report, 3 Mar. 2022

Unlike a poison frog or a spraying polecat, this rodent has no chemical weapons to defend itself. —Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2015

Iltis is the German word for a polecat, Mustela putorius, a forest-dwelling European mammal that's like a weasel, minus the charisma. —Brendan Mcaleer, Car and Driver, 2 Oct. 2022

Two bobcats in Wisconsin, a coyote pup in Michigan and skunks in Canada have also tested positive for the virus, as have foxes, otters, a lynx, a polecat and a badger in Europe. —New York Times, 18 June 2022

Stereoscopic souvenir cards show a faux mountainside crammed like a Victorian what-not shelf with deer, goats, polecats, and raptors. —Susan Tallman, The New York Review of Books, 10 Mar. 2020

Stoat – Related to weasels, polecats and ferrets, the stoat is a small but ferocious predator. —Sarah Lazarus, CNN, 26 Dec. 2019

Because Wajid Ali Shah had hundreds of wives and concubines, people identifying themselves as descendants are all over the place in Lucknow, fighting like polecats over the veracity of one another’s claims. —Ellen Barry, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2019

The population of animals like polecats, pine martens and badgers have sprung back, now that they are not longer widely trapped or killed for being pests. —Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 16 June 2018

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English polcat, probably from Middle French poul, pol cock + Middle English cat; probably from its preying on poultry — more at pullet

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

polecat

noun

pole·​cat ˈpōl-ˌkat 

plural polecats or polecat

1

: a brown to black European flesh-eating mammal related to the weasels

2

: skunk entry 1 sense 1

Etymology

Middle English polcat "polecat," probably from early French pol, poul "cock" and Middle English cat "cat, a small animal"