weaselとは 意味・読み方・使い方

別の表記

• weazel (古風な用法)
• weazle (廃れた用法)

語源

From Middle English wesele, from 古期英語 weosule, from Proto-West Germanic *wisulā, from Proto-Germanic *wisulǭ. The verb is from c. 1900, from the supposed cunningness of the weasel.

発音

• (Received 発音) IPA^(key): /ˈwiːz(ə)l/
• (General American) enPR: wēʹzəl, wēzʹl, IPA^(key): /ˈwizəl/, /ˈwizl̩/
• 韻: -iːzəl
• ハイフネーション: wea‧sel

名詞

weasel (複数形 weasels)

1. The least weasel, Mustela nivalis.
2. Any of the carnivorous mammals of the genus Mustela, having a slender body, a long tail and usually a light brown upper coat and light-coloured belly.
3. The taxonomic family Mustelidae is also called the weasel family.
4. A devious or sneaky person or animal.
   • 2016 February 8, Marwan Bishara, “Why Obama fails the leadership test in the Middle East”, in Al Jazeera English‎^[1]:

     Once you've gone beyond the scripted speeches, soundbites and cliches, you'll notice how the debate about leadership is primarily divided between the three governors and two senators, the other two weasels, Donald Trump and Ben Carson notwithstanding.

5. A type of yarn winder used for counting the yardage of handspun yarn. It most commonly has a wooden peg or dowel that pops up from the gearing mechanism after a certain number of yards have been wound onto the winder.

同意語

• (any of the carnivorous mammals of the genus Mustela): mustela

派生語

Mustelidae

• African striped weasel (Poecilogale albinucha)
• Altai weasel (Mustela altaica)
• Amazon weasel (Neogale africana)
• back-striped weasel (Mustela strigidorsa)
• Bonaparte's weasel (Mustela erminea cicognanii, Mustela cicognanii)
• bridled weasel (Mustela frenata)
• Colombian weasel (Neogale felipei)
• common weasel (Mustela nivalis)
• dwarf weasel (Mustela nivalis)
• Egyptian weasel (Mustela nivalis subpalmata)
• honey weasel (Mellivora capensis)
• Japanese weasel (Mustela sibirica sibirica, Mustela itatsai)
• least weasel (Mustela nivalis)
• little weasel (Mustela nivalis)
• long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata)
• Malacca weasel (Viverricula malaccensis)
• Malay weasel, Malayan weasel (Mustela nudipes)
• mountain weasel (Mustela altaica)
• New York weasel (Mustela frenata noveboracensis)
• pale weasel (Mustela altaica)
• Patagonian weasel (Lyncodon patagonicus)
• pygmy weasel (Mustela nivalis)
• short-tailed weasel (Mustela erminea, Mustela richardsonii)
• Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica)
• snake weasel (Poecilogale albinucha)
• stripe-backed weasel (Mustela strigidorsa)
• tiger weasel (Vormela spp.)
• Tonkin weasel (Mustela tonkinensis)
• vison weasel (Neogale vison)
• white weasel (Mustela erminea)
• yellow weasel (Mustela sibirica)
• yellow-bellied weasel (Mustela kathiah)

other

• iceweasel
• weasel cat (Pronodon spp.; Poiana richardsoni)
• weasel coot, weasel duck
• weasel-headed armadillo (Euphractus spp.)
• weasel lemur (Lepilemur mustelinus)
• weaselly, weasely
• weasel spider (Solpugidae spp.)
• weasel word

動詞

weasel (三人称単数 現在形 weasels, 現在分詞 weaseling または weaselling, 過去形および過去分詞形 weaseled または weaselled)

1. (transitive) To achieve by clever or devious means.
   • 2010 (publication date), Tony Dajer, "Vital Signs", Discover, ISSN 0274-7529, volume 32, number 1, January–February 2011, page 10:

     Prisoners are notorious for weaseling day passes to get out of lockup […] .

2. (transitive or reflexive) To gain something for oneself by clever or devious means.
   • 2006, Tony Ruggiero, Alien Deception:

     He's weaseled himself into a position where he can influence the outcome of this election.

   • 2010, Susie Davis, Uncovered: Revealing the Secrets of a Sexy Marriage, page 147:

     Within just a couple of days, she [a dog] had weaseled her way into our hearts.

3. (intransitive) To engage in clever or devious behavior.
   • 1996, Stefan Bechtel, Larry Stains, Sex: A Man's Guide, page 151:

     Authority figures have a history of weaseling on this topic.

使用する際の注意点

• Weaseling and weaseled are more common in the US. Weaselling and weaselled are more common in the UK.

関連する語

• weasel one's way
• weasel out

参考

• ferret
• mink
• polecat
• stoat

参照

• weasel at OneLook Dictionary Search
• William Dwight Whitney and Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “weasel”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Further reading

• weasel on Wikipedia.

アナグラム

• weales