ETYM From older martern, marter, martre, French martre, marte, Late Lat. martures, from Latin martes; akin to as. mearth, meard, German marder, Old High Germ. mardar, Icel. mörthr. Related to Foumart.
Agile slender-bodied arboreal mustelids somewhat larger than weasels; SYN. marten cat.
Large weasel-like animal, with fine fur; its fur, called sable. pine-marten, marten of European pine woods; American sable. stone-marten, marten of European beech woods.
Small bushy-tailed carnivorous mammal of the genus Martes in the weasel family Mustelidae. Martens live in North America, Europe, and temperate regions of Asia, and are agile climbers of trees.
The sable m. zibellina lives in E Siberia, and provides the most valued fur. The largest marten is the fisher m. pennanti of North America, with black fur and reaching 125 cm/4 ft in length.