beech marten
- noun
- UK
- The beech marten is known for its agility when climbing trees and rocks.
Examples
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The beech marten is a skilled climber.
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Unlike the pine marten, the beech marten often lives close to human settlements.
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Researchers spotted a beech marten near the old stone bridge last night.
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I spotted a beech marten in the forest yesterday.
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While hiking in the forest, we spotted a beech marten climbing a tree.
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The beech marten is known for its agility in rocky terrain.
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We often hear the sounds of a beech marten at dusk as it searches for food.
Synonyms
A small wild mammal with brown fur and a pale chest, also called the beech marten
A small wild animal like a weasel with brown fur and a pale throat patch found in Europe and Asia
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a transparent noun–noun compound: 'beech' (a type of tree) modifies 'marten' (a small mammal), so the phrase denotes a kind of marten associated with beech trees. The meaning (a marten species linked to beech woodland/habitat) is directly inferable from the constituents and follows a common cross-linguistic compounding pattern.
Etymology
Beech marten gets its name from where the animal is often found. Beech is 'a type of tree' and marten is 'a small, agile mammal', so the name points to a marten that lives near beech trees.