weaselly

Variant of weasel

noun pl. weasels or weasel

  1. any of various agile musteline carnivores (esp. genus Mustela) with a long, slender body, short legs, and a long, bushy tail: they feed on rats, mice, birds, eggs, etc. and are worldwide
  2. a sly, cunning, or sneaky person

Origin: ME wesel < OE wesle, akin to Ger wiesel, prob. < IE base *weis-, to flow out (with reference to the rank odor emitted by the animal) > virus, bison

intransitive verb

  1. to use weasel words
  2. Informal to avoid or evade a commitment or responsibility: with out

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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