dormouse

[dawr-mous]

noun

plural

dormice 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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