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, adjectiveWords nearby mouse
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, adjectiveWord 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.