weasel

== English == === Alternative forms === weazel (archaic) weazle (obsolete) === Etymology === From Middle English wesele, from Old English weosule, from Proto-West Germanic *wisulā, from Proto-Germanic *wisulǭ. The verb is from c. 1900, from the supposed cunningness of the weasel. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈwiːz(ə)l/ (General American) enPR: wēʹzəl, wēzʹl, IPA(key): /ˈwizəl/, /ˈwizl̩/ Rhymes: -iːzəl Hyphenation: wea‧sel === Noun === weasel (plural weasels) Any of the carnivorous mammals of the genera Mustela, Neogale, Poecilogale, and Lyncodon, having a slender body, a long tail and usually a light brown upper coat and light-coloured belly. A least weasel (Mustela nivalis). Any of certain other species of the family Mustelidae. (informal, derogatory) A devious or sneaky person or animal. A type of yarn winder used for counting the yardage of handspun yarn; spinner's weasel. It most commonly has a wooden peg or dowel that pops up from the gearing mechanism after a certain number of yards have been wound onto the winder. ==== Synonyms ==== (any of the carnivorous mammals of the genus Mustela): mustela ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === weasel (third-person singular simple present weasels, present participle (US) weaseling or (UK) weaselling, simple past and past participle (US) weaseled or (UK) weaselled) (transitive) To achieve by clever or devious means. 2010 (publication date), Tony Dajer, "Vital Signs", Discover, ISSN 0274-7529, volume 32, number 1, January–February 2011, page 10: Prisoners are notorious for weaseling day passes to get out of lockup […] . (transitive or reflexive) To gain something for oneself by clever or devious means. (intransitive) To engage in clever or devious behavior. ==== Usage notes ==== Weaseling and weaseled are more common in the US. Weaselling and weaselled are more common in the UK. ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === See also === ferret mink polecat stoat === References === “weasel”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “weasel”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. === Further reading === weasel on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === Anagrams === weales