noun
weasels; polecats; ferrets; minks; fishers; otters; badgers; skunks; wolverines; martens
• Syn: ↑family Mustelidae
• Hypernyms: ↑mammal family
• Member Holonyms: ↑Carnivora, ↑order Carnivora
• Member Meronyms:
↑musteline mammal, ↑mustelid, ↑musteline, ↑Mustela, ↑genus Mustela, ↑Poecilogale, ↑genus Poecilogale, ↑Ictonyx, ↑genus Ictonyx, ↑Lutrinae, ↑subfamily Lutrinae, ↑Lutra, ↑genus Lutra, ↑Enhydra, ↑genus Enhydra, ↑Mephitinae, ↑subfamily Mephitinae, ↑Mephitis, ↑genus Mephitis, ↑Conepatus, ↑genus Conepatus, ↑Spilogale, ↑genus Spilogale, ↑Melinae, ↑subfamily Melinae, ↑Taxidea, ↑genus Taxidea, ↑Meles, ↑genus Meles, ↑Mellivora, ↑genus Mellivora, ↑Melogale, ↑genus Melogale, ↑Arctonyx, ↑genus Arctonyx, ↑Gulo, ↑genus Gulo, ↑genus Grison, ↑genus Galictis, ↑Martes, ↑genus Martes, ↑Charronia, ↑genus Charronia, ↑Eira, ↑genus Eira
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\\ˌməˈsteləˌdē\ noun pluralUsage: capitalized
: a large widely distributed family (superfamily Arctoidea) of rather small lithe active carnivorous mammals including many important furbearers (as the mink, fisher, and otter) and some destructive predators (as the weasels and polecats) and varying greatly in appearance and habits from the tiniest slender bloodthirsty weasel to the relatively large stocky slow-moving skunk or the burly wolverine
Useful english dictionary. 2012.