Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
musteline

musteline

9.9
An animal like a weasel, otter, badger or mink that usually hunts small animals
  • noun
  • /ˈmʌstɪlaɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : mustélido
  • The musteline is well adapted for hunting small mammals in dense undergrowth.

Examples

  • Curious children watched as the zookeeper explained how the musteline hunts for its food.

  • Several species of musteline are found in both Europe and North America.

  • The musteline creatures are fascinating to observe in the wild.

  • A musteline family can often be found near water sources.

  • The musteline animal, such as the otter, plays an important role in its ecosystem.

  • Many people enjoy watching musteline species, like weasels and badgers, in documentaries.

  • The natural behaviors of musteline mammals are often studied by wildlife biologists.

Synonyms

mustelid
vsmusteline
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A small to medium mammal like a weasel or otter that has fur and eats meat

is more descriptive, focusing on body shape and fur rather than formal taxonomy
musteline mammal
vsmusteline
  • Specialized
9.9

A meat-eating mammal like a weasel or otter with a long slender body

is the taxonomic term for the same group without focusing on appearance

Compounds

musteline mammal
  • Specialized
9.9

A meat-eating mammal like a weasel or otter with a long slender body

Surface Forms

musteline singular
mustelines plural

Morphology

musteline = mustelid (opaque) = mustel + ine

The word is formed by a regular derivation: the combining stem relating to Mustelidae plus the productive suffix '-ine' meaning 'relating to' or forming nouns/adjectives.

Etymology

Musteline comes from the Latin mustela meaning 'weasel', and that word comes from mus meaning 'mouse', so you can imagine a weasel as a 'little mouse'. That's why musteline refers to animals of the weasel family, like weasels, otters, badgers and minks.