minks

Noun

mink (plural mink or minks)

1. (plural mink or minks) Any semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammal in the Mustelinae subfamily, similar to weasels, with dark fur, native to Europe and America, of which two species in different genera are extant: the American mink (Neogale vison) and the European mink (Mustela lutreola).
   • The Minx […] frequents the water like the Otter, and very much reſembles it in ſhape and color, but is leſs; will abide longer under the water than the muſk quaſh, muſk rat, or little beaver: […]1771, Thomas Pennant, quoting John Bartram, “Otter”, in Synopsis of Quadrupeds, Chester, Cheshire: […] J. Monk, →OCLC, page 240
2. (plural mink) The fur or pelt of a mink, used to make apparel.
   • From Michaelmas 1739. to Michaelmas 1740. Skins. […] Mink at 2s. 4d. Elk at 8s. Deer at 2s. 7½ per Skin.1749, “[Appendix.] Number X. An Account of the Amount of Sales Made by the Hudson’s Bay Company, Specifying the Several Articles, and the Average Price of Each Article, for Ten Years Last Past.”, in...
3. (plural minks) An article of clothing made of mink.
   • At one point, money was stolen from one of the bedrooms. […] Afte that, the family employees were often tested. [Katherine] Jackson would leave the alarm on the closet unarmed, the one in which she kept her minks, chinchillas, and other expensive furs.2010, J[ohn] Randy Taraborrelli, “Son vs. Father”, in Michael Jackson: The Magic, the Madness, the Whole Story, updated paperback edition, London: Pan Books, →ISBN, part 5, page 255
4. (Scotland, derogatory, slang, plural minks) A person with poor personal hygiene; a smelly person.