marten

Noun

WordNet 3.0

Noun (1)

agile slender-bodied arboreal mustelids somewhat larger than weaselsSynonyms: marten cat

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Marten \Mar"ten\ (m[aum]r"t[e^]n), n. (Zool.) A bird. See Martin. [1913 Webster]

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]

Martin \Mar"tin\, n. [F. martin, from the proper name Martin. Cf. Martlet.] (Zool.) One of several species of swallows, usually having the tail less deeply forked than the tail of the common swallows. [Written also marten.] [1913 Webster]

Note: The American purple martin, or bee martin (Progne subis or Progne purpurea), and the European house martin, or window martin (Hirundo urbica or Chelidon urbica), are the best known species. [1913 Webster]

Bank martin. (a) The bank swallow. See under Bank. (b) The fairy martin. See under Fairy.

Bee martin. (a) The purple martin. (b) The kingbird.

Sand martin, the bank swallow. [1913 Webster]