titmouse

Meaning

Any small passerine bird mostly of the genus Baeolophus, which are found in the woods of the Northern Hemisphere and of Africa.

Synonyms

tit

tomtit

chickadee

blue tit

birdy

Translations

mésange

Meise

mees

cincia

carbonero

parus

cinciallegra

milharós

abelharuco

chapim

abelheiro

αιγίθαλος

παπαδίτσα

herrerillo

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈtɪtmaʊs/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: titmose

Cognate with Dutch: mees

Cognate with German: Meise

Cognate with Old Norse: meisingr

Cognate with French: mésange

Cognate with Norwegian: meis

In summary

From Middle English titmose, compound of tit (“small bird”) and mose, from Old English māse (“titmouse”), from Proto-West Germanic *maisā, from Proto-Germanic *maisǭ (compare Dutch mees, German Meise, Old Norse meisingr, French mésange), from *maisaz (“tiny, puny”) (compare Norwegian meis (“skinny weakling”)). Spelling as well as the plural form in imitation of the otherwise unrelated mouse.