dormouse

American  

[dawr-mous] / ˈdɔrˌmaʊs /

noun

PLURAL

dormice

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

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dormouse British  

/ ˈdɔːˌmaʊs /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of dormouse

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

Example Sentences

The country's flora and fauna will feature on them all, with animals including the red squirrel, puffin and dormouse depicted.

From BBC

Workers planted 285,000 trees to mitigate its significant environmental impact and creatures including bats, dormice and great crested newts have also been moved.

From BBC

Creatures including bats, dormice and great crested newts have also been moved.

From BBC

Creatures, including bats, dormice and great crested newts, have also been moved.

From BBC

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

From BBC