<P> The European polecat originated in Western Europe during the Middle Pleistocene, with its closest living relatives being the steppe polecat, the black - footed ferret and the European mink . With the two former species, it can produce fertile offspring, though hybrids between it and the latter species tend to be sterile, and are distinguished from their parent species by their larger size and more valuable pelts . </P> <P> The European polecat is the sole ancestor of the ferret, which was domesticated more than 2000 years ago for the purpose of hunting vermin . The species has otherwise been historically viewed negatively by humans . In the British Isles especially, the polecat was persecuted by gamekeepers, and became synonymous with promiscuity in early English literature . During modern times, the polecat is still scantly represented in popular culture when compared to other rare British mammals, and misunderstandings of its behaviour still persist in some rural areas . As of 2008, it is classed by the IUCN as Least Concern due to its wide range and large numbers . </P> <P> The word "polecat" first appeared after the Norman Conquest of England, written as polcat . While the second syllable is largely self - explanatory, the origin of the first is unclear . It is possibly derived from the French poule, meaning "chicken", likely in reference to the species' fondness for poultry, or it may be a variant of the Old English ful, meaning "foul". In Middle English, the species was referred to as foumart, meaning "foul marten", in reference to its strong odour . In Old French, the polecat was called fissau, which was derived from the Low German and Scandinavian verb for "to make a disagreeable smell". This was later corrupted in English as fitchew or fitchet, which itself became the word "fitch", which is used for the polecat's pelt . The word fitchet is the root word for the North American fisher, which was named by Dutch colonists in America who noted similarities between the two species . In some countries such as New Zealand, the term "fitch" has taken on a wider use to refer to related creatures such as ferrets, especially when farmed for their fur . </P> <P> A 2002 article in The Mammal Society's Mammal Review contested the European polecat's status as an animal indigenous to the British Isles on account of a scarce fossil record and linguistic evidence . Unlike most native British mammals, the polecat's Welsh name (ffwlbart, derived from the Middle English foulmart) is not of Celtic origin, much as the Welsh names of invasive species such as the European rabbit and fallow deer (cwningen, derived from the Middle English konyng and danas, derived from the Old French dain, respectively) are of Middle English or Old French origin . Polecats are not mentioned in Anglo - Saxon or Welsh literature prior to the Norman conquest of England in 1066, with the first recorded mention of the species in the Welsh language occurring in the 14th century's Llyfr Coch Hergest and in English in Chaucer's The Pardoner's Tale (1383). In contrast, attestations of the Welsh word for pine marten (bele), date back at least to the 10th century Welsh Laws and possibly much earlier in northern England . </P>

Where did the term pole cat come from
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