red-backed mouse
- noun
- US
:
ratón de lomo rojo
- The red-backed mouse is adapted to survive cold mountain environments.
Examples
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Some predators rely heavily on the red-backed mouse as a food source in Eurasian forests.
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Scientists discovered a new population of red-backed mice living in the alpine meadows.
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Look at that red-backed mouse!
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The red-backed mouse is a fascinating creature.
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Scientists discovered a new population of red-backed mice living in the alpine meadows.
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Some predators rely heavily on the red-backed mouse as a food source in Eurasian forests.
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The red-backed mouse is adapted to survive cold mountain environments.
Synonyms
A small animal like a mouse with a reddish band on its back that lives in cold mountain areas
A group of small mouse-like animals with red backs that live in northern forests
Surface Forms
Morphology
red-backed + mouse
The phrase denotes a mouse that has a red back — this meaning is directly compositional from 'red' + 'back' with the participial/adjectival '-ed' forming 'red-backed', so a learner who knows 'red', 'back' and 'mouse' can infer it. The 'X-backed' pattern (e.g. red-backed vole) is common in English and parallels constructions in other languages, making the phrase immediately transparent.
Etymology
Red-backed mouse is a simple name for a small animal like a mouse that has reddish fur on its back, so the parts red and backed give a clear picture of how it looks. That's why the name now refers to several small mountain or forest rodents often called voles.
