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weasel

Etymology and origin of the English word weasel

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈwizəl/, /ˈwizl̩/; /ˈwiːz(ə)l/ (UK)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English wesele, inherited from Old English weosule, wesle,[2][3][4][5][6] from Proto-Germanic *wisulǭ;[3][4] it is related to Dutch wezel and German Wiesel.[3][4][6] Its origin is obscure;[4] it is probably related to the Germanic word for bison, with a basic sense “stinking animal”, since both animals have a musky smell.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The small slender carnivorous animal of Europe (c. 725).[7][3]

Semantic evolution

The weasel is proverbial for cunning,[4] and the word has been used for a sneaky, treacherous person.[2][6][1] The verb and the phrase weasel word come from a 1900 short story by Stewart Chaplin, in which weasel words “suck all the life out of the words next to them” as a weasel sucks out an egg and leaves the shell.[4][3][7] The separate sense “to extricate oneself like a weasel” dates from 1925,[7][4][3] and “to equivocate, to evade an obligation” from 1956.[7][4]

Timeline

  • c. 725 – the animal.[7][3]
  • 1900 – verb, to empty (a word) of meaning, and weasel word.[7][4][3]
  • 1925 – verb, to extricate oneself.[7][4][3]
  • 1956 – verb, to equivocate; to escape an obligation, often weasel out.[7][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Any of various small carnivorous mammals of the genus Mustela, with a long slender body, short legs and brownish fur that in northern species turns white in winter.
  2. A sneaky, cunning or treacherous person.
  3. A light tracked vehicle for travelling over snow.

Verb

  1. To be evasive; to equivocate or use weasel words.
  2. To escape from or evade a situation or obligation, often with out.

Word family

  • weaselly
  • weasel word

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

  • henchman · also from Old English
  • smock · also from Old English
  • heathen · also from Old English
  • giddy · also from Old English
  • gallows · also from Old English
  • forlorn · also from Old English
  • clue · also from Old English
  • gossip · also from Old English
Cite this entry

“Weasel.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/weasel. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·