Definition of DORMOUSE

dormouse

Plural: dormice

Noun

  • A small, mouselike rodent known for long periods of hibernation.
  • small furry-tailed squirrel-like Old World rodent that becomes torpid in cold weather
  • Any of several species of small, mostly European rodents of the family Gliridae.
  • Any of several species of small, mostly European rodents of the family Gliridae.
  • Glis glis (edible dormouse).
  • Any of several species of small, mostly European rodents of the family Gliridae.
  • Muscardinus avellanarius (hazel dormouse).
  • A person who sleeps a great deal, or who falls asleep readily (by analogy with the sound hibernation of the dormouse).

Examples

  • The rare DORMOUSE plural, DORMICE, can be a surprising high-scorer in Words With Friends.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English dormowse, of uncertain origin. Possibly from a dialectal *dor-, from Old Norse dár (“benumbed”) + mous (“mouse”). More at doze, mouse.
The word is sometimes conjectured to come from an Anglo-Norman derivative of Old French dormir (“to sleep”) (as *dormouse (“tending to be dormant”), with second element mistaken for mouse), but no such Anglo-Norman term is known to have existed.

Scrabble Score: 11

dormouse: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
dormouse: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
dormouse: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

dormouse: valid Words With Friends Word