fitch

Everyday

1. (old or trade word) A polecat, or its fur; also called a fitchew. tree →
2. (Bible, old) A kind of plant grown for seeds, a vetch or similar, mentioned as «fitches» in old English Bibles. tree →
3. A long-handled brush used by painters and signwriters. tree →

In the lessons

A rare word. In nature lessons the polecat (a wild animal of the weasel family) may be called a fitch, and its fur «fitch fur». In the King James Bible, Isaiah talks of farmers sowing and beating out «fitches». Painters know a «fitch» as a thin brush for fine work.

Examples

• The polecat, or fitch, hunts rabbits at night. tree →
• Grandma's old coat had a fitch fur collar. tree →
• The farmer in the Bible beat out his fitches with a staff. tree →
• The painter used a fitch to reach into the corner. tree →
• A fitch is related to the weasel and the ferret. tree →

Note

Countable: a fitch, fitches. Rare and old-fashioned in most senses. Not the same as «fetch» (to go and get). The polecat's other old name is «fitchew»; the ferret is a tame kind of polecat.