Dormouse

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Dormouse \Dor"mouse\, n.; pl. {Dormice}. [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.] (Zool.)
     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.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  dormouse
       n : small furry-tailed squirrel-like Old World rodent that
           becomes torpid in cold weather
       [also: {dormice} (pl)]