Entry 1b gives “intr to search or rummage about”. The abbreviation intr means that the verb should not be followed by a noun. Look at this sentence.

Jack ferrets about in the attic on weekends.

The last definition 2 is “intri & tr hunt with ferrets. A sentence using this meaning could look like these.

The old man has been ferreting behind the barn since lunch. (intr)

The old man has been ferreting rabbits behind the barn for weeks.(tr)

You will notice the word “ferreter n”. This is the form of the word that means the person who does the searching or hunting. For example,

He’s a ferreter just like his father was.

Next comes “ferrety adj”. This is the word “ferret” with the suffix, or ending, “y” and is used to describe something. If you walked into a basement that smelled damp and musty, you might comment on the “ferrety smell”. Ferrets have a strong and distinctive smell unless they are regularly washed with special deodorizing soap. It is not really unpleasant, but you will always recognize it once you have smelled it.

8. ETYMOLOGY

There is one more interesting piece of information in the dictionary before the end of the entry. It is presented in square brackets, or in some dicitonaries, parentheses(17) and is called the etymology(18) of the word. To fully understand this section, you will have to refer frequently to the Abbreviations page. In the case of the word “ferret”, the abbreviations can be worked out to tell you that the word was used in Middle English (ME), about 600 years ago.. Before that, it was used in Old French (OF) as “fu(i)ret”. Research then shows that the OF “fu(i)ret” is an alteration which came from the Latin “fu(i)ron” and Late Latin “furo-onis” for thief. If you have ever known a ferret, you will realize that it is well named. Ferrets like to hide anything they find. They often try to carry things, like shoes, which are much bigger than they are and hide them under furniture or behind curtains or plants.

17.brackets

18.origin and history