ferret Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun musteline mammal of prairie regions of United States; nearly extinct
    black-footed ferret; Mustela nigripes.
  2. noun domesticated albino variety of the European polecat bred for hunting rats and rabbits
  3. verb hound or harry relentlessly
  4. verb hunt with ferrets
  5. verb search and discover through persistent investigation
    ferret out.
    • She ferreted out the truth

WordNet

Fer"ret noun
Etymology
F. furet, cf. LL. furo; prob. fr. L. fur thief (cf. Furtive); cf. Arm. fur wise, sly.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) An animal of the Weasel family (Mustela ∨ Putorius furo), about fourteen inches in length, of a pale yellow or white color, with red eyes. It is a native of Africa, but has been domesticated in Europe. Ferrets are used to drive rabbits and rats out of their holes.
Fer"ret transitive verb
Etymology
Cf. F. fureter. See Ferret, n.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Ferreted; present participle & verbal noun Ferreting
Definitions
  1. To drive or hunt out of a lurking place, as a ferret does the cony; to search out by patient and sagacious efforts; -- often used with out; as, to ferret out a secret.
    Master Fer! I'll fer him, and firk him, and ferret him. Shak.
Fer"ret noun
Etymology
Ital. foretto, dim. of fiore flower; or F. fleuret. Cf. Floret.
Definitions
  1. A kind of narrow tape, usually made of woolen; sometimes of cotton or silk; -- called also ferreting.
Fer"ret noun
Etymology
F. feret, dim. or fer iron, L. ferrum.
Definitions
  1. (Glass Making) The iron used for trying the melted glass to see if is fit to work, and for shaping the rings at the mouths of bottles.

Webster 1913