mouse-ear

American  

[mous-eer] / ˈmaʊsˌɪər /

noun

1. any of various plants having small, hairy leaves, as the hawkweed, Hieracium pilosella, or the forget-me-not, Myosotis palustris.

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mouse-ear British  

noun

1. short for mouse-ear chickweed See chickweed

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Etymology

Origin of mouse-ear

First recorded in 1225–75, mouse-ear is from the Middle English word mous-ere. See mouse, ear ¹

Example Sentences

Her subject was Arabidopsis thaliana, a mustard also known as mouse-ear cress, that has been described as a model plant for genome gnalysis.

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2025

Even more surprising, two temperate plant species from the Northern Hemisphere, annual meadow grass and mouse-ear chickweed, colonised sites faster than any other species.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2024

Three women in their 20s, each wearing mouse-ear headbands, waited their turn; one of them, Natalie Parks, from Salt Lake City, said hugging Minnie was “a chance to reconnect with my childhood.”

From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2022

The Girl Scouts are sending up ants, brine shrimp and plants as test subjects, while University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists are flying up seeds from mouse-ear cress, a small flowering weed used in genetic research.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 29, 2021

The mouse-ear headband contributed to the effect considerably.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon