dormouse

[ dawr-mous ]
/ ˈdɔrˌmaʊs /

noun, plural dor·mice [dawr-mahys] /ˈdɔrˌmaɪs/.

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

Origin of dormouse

1400–50; late Middle English dormowse, dormoise; etymology obscure; perhaps AF derivative of Old French dormir to sleep (see dormant), with final syllable reanalyzed as mouse, but no such AF word is known

Words nearby dormouse

dormition of the blessed virgin, dormitory, dormitory suburb, dormobile, dormont, dormouse, dornase alfa, dornbirn, dornick, dorobo, doronicum

Example sentences from the Web for dormice

British Dictionary definitions for dormice

dormouse
/ (ˈdɔːˌmaʊs) /

noun plural -mice

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

Word Origin for dormouse

C15: dor-, perhaps from Old French dormir to sleep, from Latin dormīre + mouse