Etymology
At first glance the name might imply the animal was an adept fisher, yet it seldom dines on aquatic organisms. The name instead comes from colonial Dutch fisse, visse "polecat", due to its resemblance with the European polecat (Mustela putorius). In the French language, the pelt of a polecat is also called fiche or fichet.
In some regions the fisher is known as a pekan, derived from its name in the Abenaki language. Wejack is an Algonquian word (cf. Cree wuchak, otchock, Ojibwa ojiig) borrowed by fur traders. Other American Indian names for the fisher are Chipewyan thacho and Carrier chunihcho, both meaning "big marten", and Wabanaki uskool.
Read more about this topic: Fisher (animal)
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)
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