Standard Lemma guide

miniver

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmɪnɪvə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈmɪnɪvɚ/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A light gray or white fur used to trim the robes of judges or state executives, also used in medieval times.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

trimming on ceremonial robes consisting of white or light grey fur

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: trimming, trim, passementerie

History

Etymology

From Old French menu vair (“squirrel, squirrel fur”), from menu (“small”) + vair (“a type of fur”).

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: хермелин (hermelin) — a light gray or white fur
  • Finnish: kärpännahka — a light gray or white fur
  • French: menu-vair — a light gray or white fur
  • German: Feh — a light gray or white fur
  • Russian: мех горностая (mex gornostaja) — a light gray or white fur
  • Spanish: armiño — a light gray or white fur