titmouse
[ tit-mous ]
/ ˈtɪtˌmaʊs /
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.
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
titled,
titleholder,
titleship,
titlist,
titman,
titmouse,
tito,
tito, marshal,
titograd,
titoism,
titoki
Example sentences from the Web for titmouse
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 Parus
See tit 1
Word Origin for titmouse
C14
titemous, from
tite (see
tit
1) +
mouse