noun
also min·e·ver ˈminəvə(r)
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English meniver, from Old French menu vair, from menu small (from Latin minutus ) + vair — more at minute , vair
1. : a white or whitish fur probably from the vair and more recently from ermine or rabbit used in the medieval period especially for the clothing of noble and wealthy persons and now chiefly for robes of state
parliament robes are of crimson cloth furred with miniver — Dorothy M. Stuart
2. dialect England : an ermine in its white winter coat