Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Nearby Words

dormice

 - 2 dictionary results

dor⋅mouse

  [dawr-mous]
Use dormice in a Sentence
–noun, plural -mice  [-mahys] .
any small, furry-tailed, Old World rodent of the family Gliridae, resembling small squirrels in appearance and habits.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME dormowse, dormoise; etym. obscure; perh. AF deriv. of OF dormir to sleep (see dormant ), with final syll. reanalyzed as mouse, but no such AF word is known
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To dormice
dor·mouse   (dôr'mous')   
n.  Any of various small, squirrellike Old World rodents of the family Gliridae.

[Middle English, probably alteration (influenced by mous, mouse) of Anglo-Norman dormeus, inclined to sleep, hibernating, from Old French dormir, to sleep; see dormant.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see dormice on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way