Fitchew

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small carnivorous mammal resembling a weasel with dark fur and a musky odor ; the pelt or fur obtained from this animal
2. An Old World mammal of weasel-like appearance with a strong smell ; the hair or hide taken from such a creature
3. A musky-scented creature similar to a weasel found in Europe ; the coat or fleece derived from this polecat

Etymology: The English word for a polecat, "fitchew," is a case of a plural being mistaken for a singular. Middle English speakers borrowed a form, "fichouse" or "ficheux," from Old French, where the plural "fissiauls" and the singular "fichau" or "fissel" both named the animal. The French words in turn came from Middle Dutch "vitsche," "visse," or "fisse," meaning the same thing. Because "fitchewes" ended in -es, it looked like a plural, and English speakers then treated "fitchew" as the singular. The Dutch word reaches back, through a Northern French dialect, to Latin "vissiō," meaning "stench." The link is the animal's notorious smell, which is why the name was attached to a creature that sprays a foul musk when threatened. French later gave us "vison," the mink, a close relative of the same family of names.

Synonyms: polecat, fitch