ermine

noun (plural same or ermines)

• 1a stoat, especially when in its white winter coat.
• the white fur of the stoat, used for trimming garments, especially the ceremonial robes of judges or peers.
• Heraldry fur represented as black spots on a white ground, as a heraldic tincture.

• 2 (also ermine moth) a stout-bodied moth that has cream or white wings with black spots, and a very hairy caterpillar.

  • Family Arctiidae: several genera and species