[mar.ten] n, pl marten or martens [ME martryn, fr. MF martrine marten fur, fr. OF, fr. martre marten, of Gmc origin; akin to OE mearth marten] (13c) 1: any of several semiarboreal slender-bodied carnivorous mammals (genus Martes) chiefly of the northern hemisphere that are larger than the related weasels
2: the fur or pelt of a marten