dormouse

[ dawr-mous ]

noun

, plural dor·mice [dawr, -mahys].

1. any small, furry-tailed, Old World rodent of the family Gliridae, resembling small squirrels in appearance and habits.

dormouse

/ ˈdɔːˌmaʊs /

noun

1. any small Old World rodent of the family Gliridae , esp the Eurasian Muscardinus avellanarius, resembling a mouse with a furry tail

Word History and Origins

Origin of dormouse¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English dormowse, dormoise; etymology obscure; perhaps Anglo-French derivative of Old French dormir “to sleep,” with final syllable reanalyzed as mouse, but no such Anglo-French word is known; dormant, mouse

Word History and Origins

Origin of dormouse¹

C15: dor-, perhaps from Old French dormir to sleep, from Latin dormīre + mouse

Example Sentences

Ten tiny hazel dormice have been given the all-clear by wildlife vets ahead of their release into the wild next month.

From BBC

"While the Romans had to wait centuries for pasta, they chowed down on dormice in fish sauce," he said.

From BBC

Forestry England, which set up the crossings, said they would "enable dormice to feel safer as they cross from one part of the wood to another".

From BBC

To test this, they took skeletal muscle samples from two small hibernators -- the Thirteen-lined ground squirrel and the Garden dormouse -- and two large hibernators -- the American black bear and brown bear.

From Science Daily

Animals which hibernate, like dormice, are especially threatened.

From BBC