mink

/mɪŋk/

/mɪŋk/

Other forms: minks

A mink is a small, furry animal that's similar to a stoat or a weasel. Minks are prized for their soft pelts, which are often made into fur coats. If you are on your way to an animal rights event, leave your mink coat in the closet.

You can use the noun mink to talk about the wild animal itself, which is not only hunted for its fur but also raised on farms, or to describe the wildly expensive coat made from the skin of many minks. A mink is the sort of warm fur coat you'd most likely see on a wealthy city dweller. The origin of mink is Scandinavian, related to the Swedish word menk, literally "a stinking animal in Finland."

Definitions of mink

1. noun

   slender-bodied semiaquatic mammal having partially webbed feet; valued for its fur
   types:

   American mink, Mustela vison

   usually rich dark brown

   type of:

   mustelid, musteline, musteline mammal

   fissiped fur-bearing carnivorous mammals
2. noun

   the expensive fur of a mink
   type of:

   fur, pelt

   the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
3. noun

   fur coat made from the soft lustrous fur of minks
   synonyms: mink coat

   type of:

   fur coat

   a coat made of fur