fitch
9
9.9
A small dark brown animal like a weasel from Europe and Asia that smells bad when threatened
- noun
- /fɪtʃ/
- Archaic
:
marta
Synonyms
3
8.2
A small animal like a weasel that gives off a strong bad smell when threatened
is a more specific regional common name for this woodland species
1
9.9
The scientific name for a group of small meat-eating mammals like weasels and ferrets
is a single species term not the broader genus designation
9.9
A dark brown mammal like a weasel from Eurasian woods that makes a strong unpleasant smell when threatened
is the common name used in everyday speech for that species
9.9
A small dark brown animal like a weasel that gives off a strong bad smell when frightened
is an alternative less formal name for the same animal
9.9
A small animal like a weasel that lives in Europe and Asia and gives a strong bad smell when scared
is a variant form of the same common name rather than a different species
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word fitch comes from an old French word fitchet for a small polecat or weasel whose fur was valuable to trappers. So a fitch is a small brown weasel remembered for its fur and for the strong smell it gives when threatened.