ferret
(redirected from ferreting out)Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
fer·ret 1
(fĕr′ĭt)n.
1. A domesticated mustelid mammal (Mustela furo syn. Mustela putorius subsp. furo) with an elongated flexible body, often kept as a pet and sometimes trained to hunt rats or rabbits.
2. A black-footed ferret.
v. fer·ret·ed, fer·ret·ing, fer·rets
v.tr.
1.
a. To hunt (rabbits, for example) with ferrets.
b. To drive out, as from a hiding place; expel.
2. To uncover and bring to light by searching. Often used with out: "Their work merely points the way for others to ferret out the core components of all proteins" (Natalie Angier).
3. To hound or harry persistently; worry.
v.intr.
1. To engage in hunting with ferrets.
2. To search intensively.
[Middle English furet, ferret, from Old French furet, from Vulgar Latin *fūrittus, diminutive of Latin fūr, thief; see bher- in Indo-European roots.]
fer′ret·er n.
fer′ret·y adj.
fer·ret 2
(fĕr′ĭt) also fer·ret·ing (-ĭ-tĭng)n.
A narrow piece of tape used to bind or edge fabric.
[Probably alteration of Italian fioretti, floss silk, pl. of fioretto, diminutive of fiore, flower, from Latin flōs, flōr-, flower; see bhel- in Indo-European roots.]
ferret
(ˈfɛrɪt)n
1. (Animals) a domesticated albino variety of the polecat Mustela putorius, bred for hunting rats, rabbits, etc
2. an assiduous searcher
3. (Animals) black-footed ferret a musteline mammal, Mustela nigripes, of W North America, closely related to the weasels
vb, -rets, -reting or -reted
4. (Hunting) to hunt (rabbits, rats, etc) with ferrets
5. (usually foll by: out) to drive from hiding: to ferret out snipers.
6. (usually foll by: out) to find by persistent investigation
7. (intr) to search around
[C14: from Old French furet, from Latin fur thief]
ˈferreter n
ˈferrety adj
ferret
(ˈfɛrɪt) orferreting
n
(Crafts) silk binding tape
[C16: from Italian fioretti floss silk, plural of fioretto: a little flower, from fiore flower, from Latin flōs]
fer•ret1
(ˈfɛr ɪt)n.
1. a domesticated variety of the polecat, used esp. in Europe for driving small mammals from their burrows.
2. Also called black-footed ferret. a North American prairie weasel, Mustela nigripes, with a black mask and black feet.
v.t. 3. to drive out by or as if by using a ferret (often fol. by out): to ferret rabbits from their burrows; to ferret out enemies.
4. to hunt with ferrets.
5. to hunt over with ferrets: to ferret a field.
6. to search out; bring to light (often fol. by out): to ferret out the facts.
7. to harry or worry; torment.
v.i. 8. to search about.
9. to hunt with ferrets.
[1350–1400; Middle English fer(r)et(te), fyret, furet < Middle French furet < Vulgar Latin *furittus=fūr thief (< Latin) + -ittus -et]
fer′ret•er, n.
fer′ret•y, adj.
fer•ret2
(ˈfɛr ɪt)n.
a narrow tape or ribbon, as of silk or cotton, used for trimming, etc. Also called fer′ret•ing.
[1570–80; alter. of Italian fioretto floss silk, literally, little flower =fior(e) (< Latin flōrem; see flower)]
ferret
- Its name comes from Latin furritus, "little thief"—alluding to the animal's affinity for stealing hens' eggs.See also related terms for thief.
ferret
An aircraft, ship, or vehicle especially equipped for the detection, location, recording, and analyzing of electromagnetic radiation.
ferret
Past participle: ferreted
Gerund: ferreting
| Imperative |
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| ferret |
| ferret |
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  ferret - musteline mammal of prairie regions of United States; nearly extinctgenus Mustela, Mustela - type genus of the family Mustelidae: minks and weasels |
| 2. | ferret - domesticated albino variety of the European polecat bred for hunting rats and rabbits fitch, foulmart, foumart, Mustela putorius, polecat - dark brown mustelid of woodlands of Eurasia that gives off an unpleasant odor when threatened | |
| Verb | 1. | ferret - hound or harry relentlessly |
| 2. | ferret - hunt with ferrets hunt, hunt down, track down, run - pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals); "Goering often hunted wild boars in Poland"; "The dogs are running deer"; "The Duke hunted in these woods" | |
| 3. | ferret - search and discover through persistent investigation; "She ferreted out the truth" |
ferret
verb search, hunt, sift, scour, rummage, forage, fossick (Austral. & N.Z.) She ferreted among some papers.
ferret something or out track down, discover, trace, disclose, get at, unearth, drive out, elicit, dig up, root out, search out, bring to light, nose out, smell out, run to earth They are trying to ferret out missing details.
Translations
إِبْن مِقْرَصإبن مِقْرَض حيوان شبيه بابْن عِرْسيصيد مُسْتَعينا بابْنِ عِرْس
fretka
fritte
furo
fretti
lasicatvor
vadászgörényvadászmenyét
fretta
ケナガイタチ
흰담비
šeškasknistis
baltais sesks
fretka
jaktiller
สัตว์คล้ายพังพอน
dağ gelinciğiyaban gelinciği
chồn ferret
ferret
[ˈfɛrɪt] n → furet mferret about
vi → fureterto ferret about for sth → fouiller à la recherche de qch
ferret around
vi → fureter
vt fus → fureter dans
ferret out
vt sep → dénicherFerris wheel ferris wheel [ˈfɛrɪshwiːl] n (US) (= big wheel) → grande roue fferret
n → Frettchen nt
vi
(also ferret about or around) → herumstöbern or -schnüffeln (pej); she was ferreting (about or around) among my books → sie schnüffelte in meinen Büchern (herum); he was ferreting (around) for information → er schnüffelte nach Informationen (herum)
ferret
(ˈferit) noun a type of small, weasel-like animal used to chase rabbits out of their holes.
ferret (about) verb to search busily and persistently. He ferreted about in the cupboard.