mouse

[ noun mous; verb mouz ]
/ noun maʊs; verb maʊz /

noun, plural mice [mahys] /maɪs/.

verb (used with object), moused, mous·ing.

to hunt out, as a cat hunts out mice.
Nautical. to secure with a mousing.

verb (used without object), moused, mous·ing.

Origin of mouse

before 900; Middle English mous (plural mis), Old English mūs (plural mȳs); cognate with German Maus, Old Norse mūs, Latin mūs, Greek mŷs

OTHER WORDS FROM mouse

mouse·like, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mouse

mice mouses mouse mousse

Example sentences from the Web for mouse

British Dictionary definitions for mouse

mouse

noun (maʊs) plural mice (maɪs)

verb (maʊz)

Derived forms of mouse

mouselike, adjective

Word Origin for mouse

Old English mūs; compare Old Saxon mūs, German Maus, Old Norse mūs, Latin mūs, Greek mūs

Scientific definitions for mouse

mouse
[ mous ]

Plural mice (mīs) or mouses

A hand-held input device that is moved about on a flat surface to direct the cursor on a computer screen. It also has buttons for activating computer functions. The underside of a mechanical mouse contains a rubber-coated ball that rotates as the mouse is moved; optical sensors detect the motion and move the screen pointer correspondingly. An optical mouse is cordless and uses reflections from an LED to track the mouse's movement over a special reflective mat which is marked with a grid that acts as a frame of reference.

Cultural definitions for mouse

mouse

A common device that allows the user to reposition an arrow on their computer screen in order to activate desired applications. The term mouse comes from the appearance of the device, with the cord to the main computer being seen as a tail of sorts.

notes for mouse

The user usually sends signals to the computer when the user depresses or “clicks” a switch. A number of slang terms, such as “click on X” or “click and drag” have arisen from the appearance of symbols on a screen when a mouse is used.

Idioms and Phrases with mouse

mouse

see play cat and mouse; poor as a churchmouse; quiet as a mouse. Also see under mice.