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Glite Dictionary
Mustela rixosa

Mustela rixosa

9.9
A very small weasel that lives in Canada and the northeastern United States
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Mustela rixosa
  • The Mustela rixosa is the smallest member of the weasel family found in North America.

Examples

  • Unlike larger weasels, Mustela rixosa can squeeze into very narrow burrows.

  • Biologists observed Mustela rixosa hunting voles in the grasslands of Manitoba.

  • The Mustela rixosa is known for its small size.

  • Is the Mustela rixosa endangered in its habitat?

  • Biologists observed Mustela rixosa hunting voles in the grasslands of Manitoba.

  • The Mustela rixosa is the smallest member of the weasel family found in North America.

  • Unlike larger weasels, Mustela rixosa can squeeze into very narrow burrows.

Synonyms

New World least weasel
vsMustela rixosa
  • US
9.3

A very small wild mammal in Canada and northeastern United States that turns white in winter

refers generally to the species without stressing coat or hunting
Mustela nivalis
vsMustela rixosa
  • Specialized
9.9

A very small weasel that eats small animals in Europe, Asia and North America

refers specifically to the population in Canada and northeastern United States

Surface Forms

Mustela rixosa singular
Mustela rixosae plural

Morphology

Mustela + rixosa

The name is partly compositional: 'Mustela' is a taxonomic genus so a learner who recognises that can infer the phrase refers to a species of weasel. However, the specific epithet 'rixosa' has no obvious English meaning (and is not glossed here), so the precise sense "least weasel" and the native-range information cannot be derived from the constituents alone. This partial inferability (genus-level transparency but opaque species epithet) makes the expression only partially predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Mustela rixosa comes from old Latin words: Mustela means 'weasel' and rixosa may mean 'rowdy' or 'quarrelsome', creating the image of a small, bold animal. That's why the name fits this tiny North American weasel that can squeeze into narrow burrows and hunt small prey.