A small weasel with brown fur that turns white in winter, or the white fur used to trim royal robes.
From Old French 'ermine,' possibly derived from the Armenian region or from a corruption of Latin 'Armenius' meaning 'Armenian,' as these animals were associated with that region.
Ermine fur became the symbol of nobility across Europe—only royalty could wear it, and a single robe required hundreds of pelts, which is why you see ermine on crowns in paintings of kings and queens.
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