dormouse

Meaning

1. Any of several species of small, mostly European rodents of the family Gliridae.
2. Any of several species of small, mostly European rodents of the family Gliridae.
3. (UK) Any of several species of small, mostly European rodents of the family Gliridae.
4. (figuratively) A person who sleeps a great deal, or who falls asleep readily (by analogy with the sound hibernation of the dormouse).

Synonyms

edible

mole

sleeper

field-mouse

fat dormouse

hazel mouse

loir

hazel-mouse

Translations

loir

lirón

ghiro

liró

relmuis

hazelmuis

arganaz

Bilch

glis

moscardino

Siebenschläfer

Schlafmaus

Haselmaus

δασομυωξός

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈdɔɹmaʊs/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: dormous

Cognate with Anglo-Norman: -

Cognate with Old French: dormir

In summary

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.