dormouse
pronunciation
How to pronounce dormouse in British English:
UK [ˈdɔ:maʊs]
How to pronounce dormouse in American English:
US [ˈdɔrmaʊs]
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- Noun:
- small furry-tailed squirrel-like Old World rodent that becomes torpid in cold weather
Word Origin
- dormouse (n.)
- early 15c., possibly from Anglo-French *dormouse "tending to be dormant" (from stem of dormir "to sleep," see dormer), with the second element mistaken for mouse; or perhaps it is from a Middle English dialectal compound of mouse and Middle French dormir. The rodent is inactive in winter. French dormeuse, fem. of dormeur "sleeper" is attested only from 17c.
Example
- 1. The hazel dormouse , once widespread throughout the uk , is now vulnerable to regional extinction .
- 2. She looked back once , and the march hare and the hatter were trying to put the dormouse into the teapot .
- 3. Loss of hedgerows and fragmentation of woodland habitat has nearly wiped out the hazel dormouse from britain .
- 4. To provide shelter and encourage breeding , 200 dormouse nest boxes have been placed in the woodland .
- 5. Fortunately , an ongoing reintroduction plan is helping to increase the numbers of britain 's only native dormouse species .