dormouse
ˈdɔrˌmaʊs-
(n)
dormouse
small furry-tailed squirrel-like Old World rodent that becomes torpid in cold weather
-
Dormouse
(Zoöl) A small European rodent of the genus Myoxus, of several species. They live in trees and feed on nuts, acorns, etc.; -- so called because they are usually torpid in winter.
-
(n)
dormouse
A rodent of the family Myoxidæ. The dormouse is peculiar among rodents in having no cæcum. The general appearance is squirrel-like, hence the name squirrel-mice sometimes given to these animals; but the structure and general affinities are murine. The dormice are confined to the old world, and are widely distributed in Europe and Asia, with some outlying forms in Africa. Their shape is neat and gracile; they have full eyes, shapely limbs, and a long hairy tail, which in Myoxus proper is bushy and distichous throughout, in Muscardinus bushy but cylindrical, in Eliomys tufted and flattened at the end, and in Graphi urus shorter and like a lead-pencil. There are about 12 species of the 4 genera named. The common dormouse is Muscardinus avellanarius, only about as large as the house-mouse; the fat dormouse or loir (Myoxus glis) and the garden-dormouse or lerot (Eliomys nitela) are both much larger. The dormice hibernate in a lethargic or torpid state, occasionally waking up in mild weather, and availing themselves of a stock of provisions which they have hoarded.
-
Dormouse
a small rodent intermediate between the squirrel and the mouse, so called because torpid in winter:—pl. Dor′mice
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary Perh. fr. F. dormir, to sleep (Prov. E. dorm, to doze) + E. mouse,; or perh. changed fr. F. dormeuse, fem., a sleeper, though not found in the sense of a dormouse,
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary Fr. dormir—L. dormīre, to sleep.
The latest cool Tumblr blog, created by someone who calls himself Mr Dormouse, animates album covers to be eye-catching or interesting or just plain silly. 929jackfm.com
The Surrey Wildlife Trust in the UK posted this video of a sleeping dormouse about a month ago and the off-the-charts cuteness factor of this little guy has earned it more than 146,000 views and counting. theriver1079.com
At last the venerable dormouse himself undertook it, for the very good reason that no one else would. "The Indian Fairy Book" by
Father, can you tell me if the dormouse is awake? "Red Rose and Tiger Lily" by
Before I went I swapped my dormouse with Jones ma. "Adventures in Many Lands" by
The dormouse, of course, was the biggest of all the creatures. "The Book of Dragons" by
Oh, you sleepy old dormouse! "Dead Man's Land" by
Some people called him the dormouse. "Ralph the Heir" by
He and I had a room together, and he was nearly always fast asleep, like a fat dormouse, when I went up to bed. "Peterkin" by
Only, instead of a dormouse and a stamp-album, I chose to purchase smartness. "Punch or the London Charivari, September 9, 1914" by
But even so, it was very foolish to abandon watch, especially in such as I, who sleep like any dormouse. "The Speaker, No. 5: Volume II, Issue 1" by
The younger Dormouse went to sleep. "The Comical Creatures from Wurtemberg" by
If one ant-eater goes;
The dormouse wants a sleeping car;
The chickens shun the crows;
That leaves and berries fell into:
Once a dormouse dined there on hazel-nuts,
And grass and goose-grass seeds found soil and grew.