mink
n. C / Un. a small animal with soft, dark brown fur that lives near water. People sometimes use its fur to make expensive coats and clothing.
n. a small, semi-aquatic carnivorous mammal of the family Mustelidae, valued for its high-quality pelt.
The mink swam quickly across the narrow stream.
The fashion house faced significant criticism from animal rights groups for continuing to use real mink in their winter collection.
Conservationists are monitoring the impact of escaped American mink on local water vole populations, as the invasive predators often outcompete native species for resources.
From Late Middle English mynk (“fur of the European mink”), apparently from Swedish mink, mänk, menk (“stinking animal in Finland, mink”). Compare Danish mink (“mink”), Icelandic minkur (“mink”).
Uncountable when referring to the fur as a material; countable when referring to the individual animals.