dormouse

dor·mouse

D0346300 (dôr′mous′)n. pl. dor·mice (-mīs′) Any of various small omnivorous rodents of the family Gliridae of Eurasia and Africa, having long furred tails and known for their long hibernation periods.

[Middle English, perhaps alteration (influenced by mous, mouse) of Anglo-Norman *dormeus, inclined to sleep, hibernating, from Old French dormir, to sleep; see dormant.]

dormouse

(ˈdɔːˌmaʊs) n, pl -mice (Animals) any small Old World rodent of the family Gliridae, esp the Eurasian Muscardinus avellanarius, resembling a mouse with a furry tail[C15: dor-, perhaps from Old French dormir to sleep, from Latin dormīre + mouse]

dor•mouse

(ˈdɔrˌmaʊs)

n., pl. -mice (-ˌmaɪs) any small usu. bushy-tailed Old World climbing rodent of the family Gliridae. [1400–50; late Middle English dormowse, dormoise, perhaps Anglo-French derivative of Old French dormir to sleep (see dormant), with final syllable reanalyzed as mouse]

dormouse

- A rodent but not a mouse, it may be a corrupted form of French dormeus, "sleepy."See also related terms for mice.

Thesaurus

Noun

dormouse - small furry-tailed squirrel-like Old World rodent that becomes torpid in cold weathergnawer, rodent - relatively small placental mammals having a single pair of constantly growing incisor teeth specialized for gnawingfamily Gliridae, Gliridae - dormice and other Old World formsGlis glis, loir - large European dormousehazel mouse, Muscardinus avellanarius - a variety of dormouselerot - dormouse of southern Europe and northern Africa

Translations

HaselmausSiebenschläferghiroarganaz

dormouse

dormouse,

name for Old World nocturnal rodentsrodent,
member of the mammalian order Rodentia, characterized by front teeth adapted for gnawing and cheek teeth adapted for chewing. The Rodentia is by far the largest mammalian order; nearly half of all mammal species are rodents.
..... Click the link for more information. of the family Gliridae. There are many dormouse species, classified in several genera. Many resemble small squirrels. Dormice sleep deeply during the day, and European species hibernate for nearly six months of the year; their name is derived from the French dormir, "to sleep." Best known is the common dormouse, or hazelmouse, Muscardinus avellanarius, of Europe and W Asia, which resembles a mouse with a bushy tail. It is up to 4 in. (10 cm) long excluding the 2-in. (5-cm) tail, with rounded ears, large eyes, and thick, soft, reddish brown fur. Social animals, hazelmice build neighboring nests of leaves and grasses in bushes and thickets. They feed on insects, berries, seeds, and nuts, and are especially partial to hazelnuts. The European, or fat, dormouse, Glis glis, is the largest of the family reaching a length of 8 in. (20 cm) excluding the tail; it has a very thick coat of grayish fur and becomes extremely fat in autumn. It is found in forested regions of Europe and W Asia and lives in hollow trees. The ancient Romans raised it in captivity for food. There are many dormouse species in Africa. The spiny dormice of S Asia belong to a different rodent family, the Platacanthomyidae; they have spines mixed with their fur. The desert dormouse (Selevinia betpakolalensis) is placed in its own family, Seleviniidae. True dormice are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Rodentia, family Gliridae.

dormouse

[′dȯr‚mau̇s] (vertebrate zoology) The common name applied to members of the family Gliridae; they are Old World arboreal rodents intermediate between squirrels and rats.

dormouse

snoozes all through the mad tea-party. [Br. Lit.: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland]See: Sleep

dormouse

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

dormouse

dor·mouse

dormouse

dor•mouse

dormouse

dormouse

dormouse,

dormouse

dormouse

dormouse

dormouse

Words related to dormouse

noun small furry-tailed squirrel-like Old World rodent that becomes torpid in cold weather

Related Words