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polecat

pole·cat
P p

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [pohl-kat]
    • /ˈpoʊlˌkæt/
    • /ˈpəʊl.kæt/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [pohl-kat]
    • /ˈpoʊlˌkæt/

Definitions of polecat word

  • noun plural polecat a European mammal, Mustela putorius, of the weasel family, having a blackish fur and ejecting a fetid fluid when attacked or disturbed. Compare ferret1 (def 1). 1
  • noun plural polecat any of various North American skunks. 1
  • countable noun polecat A polecat is a small, thin, fierce wild animal. Polecats have a very unpleasant smell. 0
  • noun polecat a dark brown musteline mammal, Mustela putorius, of woodlands of Europe, Asia, and N Africa, that is closely related to but larger than the weasel and gives off an unpleasant smell 0
  • noun polecat any of various related animals, such as the marbled polecat,Vormela peregusna 0
  • noun polecat any of several small, Old World weasels, usually having anal glands that eject foul-smelling fluid when the animal is in danger, esp. one (Mustela putorius) that is known as a “ferret” when domesticated to kill rats, mice, etc. 0

Information block about the term

Origin of polecat

First appearance:

before 1275
One of the 13% oldest English words
1275-1325; Middle English polcat, perhaps equivalent to Middle French pol, poul chicken (< Latin pullus) + cat1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Polecat

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

polecat popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 68% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

polecat usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Top questions with polecat

  • what is a polecat?
  • a polecat is not a cat what is it?
  • why is a skunk called a polecat?
  • what is the difference between a polecat and a ferret?
  • what is the difference between a ferret and a polecat?
  • what is the difference between a polecat and a skunk?
  • what does polecat mean?
  • what is a polecat ferret?
  • what is the difference between a skunk and a polecat?
  • what is polecat?

See also

Matching words

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