titmouse

[ tit-mous ]

/ ˈtɪtˌmaʊs /

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noun, plural tit·mice

[tit-mahys]. /ˈtɪtˌmaɪs/.

any of numerous, widely distributed, small songbirds of the family Paridae, especially of the genus Parus, having soft, thick plumage and a short, stout, conical bill.

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Compare tufted titmouse.

Origin of titmouse

1275–1325; Middle English tit(e)mose (see tit¹); mose,Old English māse titmouse; cognate with German Meise titmouse, Old Norse meis- in meisingr kind of bird; modern mouse by folk etymology

Words nearby titmouse

title page, title role, titleship, titlist, titman, titmouse, Tito, Titograd, Titoism, titoki, Tito, Marshal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use titmouse in a sentence

Some tiny birds called titmice take bold risks to gather a beakful of hair for their nests.
There’s a new word for birds stealing animal hair: kleptotrichy|Jaime Chambers|October 4, 2021|Science News For Students
While most published accounts involve titmice in North America, at least five other bird species get in on the action.
Scientists have a new word for birds stealing animal hair|Jaime Chambers|August 12, 2021|Science News
But it is at the former, sharply whistled as the crested titmouse gives it, that every dog pricks up his ears.
Bird Neighbors|Neltje Blanchan
"A noisy titmouse is Jack Frost's trumpeter" may be one of those few weather-wise proverbs with a grain of truth in them.
Bird Neighbors|Neltje Blanchan

The habits of this large Titmouse are almost identical with those of Chickadees.
Bird Guide: Land Birds East of the Rockies|Chester A. (Chester Albert) Reed
But compare what he makes of his meeting with his titmouse with what Cowper or Burns makes of the like kind of incident!
Discourses in America|Matthew Arnold
You know we can't be trifled with; we must look after the interests of—Titmouse.
Ten Thousand a-Year (Vol. 2)|Samuel Warren

British Dictionary definitions for titmouse

titmouse

/ (ˈtɪtˌmaʊs) /

noun plural -mice

(usually plural) any small active songbird of the family Paridae, esp those of the genus ParusSee tit 1

Word Origin for titmouse

C14 titemous, from tite (see tit 1) + mouse

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