american marten

Noun

WordNet 3.0

Noun (1)

  1. valued for its furSynonyms: American martenAmerican sableMartes americana
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

marten \mar"ten\, n. [From older martern, marter, martre, F. martre, marte, LL. martures (pl.), fr. L. martes; akin to AS. mear[eth], meard, G. marder, OHG. mardar, Icel. m["o]r[eth]r. Cf. Foumart.]

1.(Zool.) Any one of several fur-bearing carnivores of the genus Martes (formerly Mustela), closely allied to the sable. Among the more important species are the European beech marten or stone marten (Martes foina); the pine marten (Martes martes); and the American marten, or sable (Martes Americana), which some Zoologists consider only a variety of the Russian sable. [1913 Webster +PJC]

2.The fur of the marten, used for hats, muffs, etc. [1913 Webster]

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