Emily Dickinson Lexicon

WEA'SEL, or WEE'SEL, n. [s as z; Sax. wesle; Dan. vesel; G. wiesel; D. weezel. I know not the meaning of this name. In G. wiese is a meadow.]

A small animal of the genus Mustela, which lives under the roots of trees, or in other holes, and feeds on small birds, but particularly on mice. A weasel that frequents barns and corn-houses, frees them from rats and mice, and is sometimes deemed a very useful inmate.