vole

1
[ vohl ]

noun
  1. any of several small mouselike or ratlike rodents of the genus Microtus and related genera, having short limbs and a short tail.

Origin of vole

1
1795–1805; short for volemouse field mouse, perhaps <Norwegian *vollmus, equivalent to voll field (cf. wold1) + musmouse

Other definitions for vole (2 of 2)

vole2
[ vohl ]

noun
  1. Cards. the winning by one player of all the tricks of a deal.

Origin of vole

2
1670–80; <French, derivative of voler to fly <Latin volāre

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use vole in a sentence

  • In a tower of the old fort lived a pair of the Eastern little owl (Athene bactriana), which appeared to live principally on voles.

    Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921 | Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury
  • The people of the Dakota nation speak of the wood-mice or voles by the designation of “Hintunka people.”

    Prairie Smoke (Second Edition, Revised) | Melvin Randolph Gilmore
  • The stems dried, and in several places formed a screen beneath which the movements of the voles were not easily discernible.

    Creatures of the Night | Alfred W. Rees
  • Food had gradually become scarce even for the few hundred voles that yet remained.

    Creatures of the Night | Alfred W. Rees
  • She awaited an almost certain increase among the “small deer” of the pasture, before commencing her raids on the grey voles there.

    Creatures of the Night | Alfred W. Rees

British Dictionary definitions for vole (1 of 2)

vole1

/ (vəʊl) /


noun
  1. any of numerous small rodents of the genus Microtus and related genera, mostly of Eurasia and North America and having a stocky body, short tail, and inconspicuous ears: family Cricetidae: See also water vole

Origin of vole

1
C19: short for volemouse, from Old Norse vollr field + mus mouse; related to Icelandic vollarmus

British Dictionary definitions for vole (2 of 2)

vole2

/ (vəʊl) /


noun
  1. (in some card games, such as écarté) the taking of all the tricks in a deal, thus scoring extra points

Origin of vole

2
C17: from French, from voler to fly, from Latin volāre

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012