ermines
/ˈɝmɪnz/adjective, noun, verb
ermines is spelled E-R-M-I-N-E-S: 7 letters. It appears about once in every 81 million words in written English, the 286,585th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ermines means “In blazon, coloured with a heraldic fur of a black field with white spots; counter-ermine” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ermines?
| Letters | 7: E-R-M-I-N-E-S |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 81 million words; the 286,585th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is ermines?
Ermines appears about once in every 81 million words in written English, the 286,585th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ermines?
- UK /ˈɜːmɪnz/
- US /ˈɝmɪnz/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of ermines
- ermins
- ermynes
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ermines mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
In blazon, coloured with a heraldic fur of a black field with white spots; counter-ermine.
noun
- 1
plural of ermine
verb
- 1
third-person singular simple present indicative of ermine
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does ermines come from?
Attested in this form (with s) since at least 1562, in Legh's Accedens of Armorie, which defines it ("Sable poudred with Argent, … Ermines is his proper name") and contrasts it with both ermine and erminois. Related to ermine, but the derivation is unclear; the OED suggests "possibly [from] OF. herminès, pl. of herminet" (a supposed diminutive of hermine); modern French calls the fur contre-hermine. The Fifteenth Century Book of Arms (c.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).