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Glite Dictionary
silky pocket mouse

silky pocket mouse

9.5
A small pale yellow mouse with very soft fur that lives in deserts
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪlki ˈpɑːkɪt maʊs/
  • US
translation icon : ratón de bolsillo sedoso
  • The silky pocket mouse is known for its extremely soft fur and nocturnal habits.

Examples

  • Researchers observed a group of silky pocket mice burrowing in the desert sands.

  • Unlike other rodents, the silky pocket mouse can survive long periods without drinking water.

  • The silky pocket mouse is known for its soft fur.

  • Have you ever seen a silky pocket mouse?

  • Researchers observed a group of silky pocket mice burrowing in the desert sands.

  • The silky pocket mouse is known for its extremely soft fur and nocturnal habits.

  • Unlike other rodents, the silky pocket mouse can survive long periods without drinking water.

Synonyms

Perognathus flavus
vssilky pocket mouse
  • Specialized
9.9

A small pale yellow mouse with soft fur that lives in dry parts of the southwestern United States and Mexico

is the common everyday name used for the same animal

Surface Forms

silky pocket mouse singular
silky pocket mice plural

Morphology

silky + pocket + mouse

The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'silky' describes fur quality and 'pocket mouse' denotes a small rodent, so a learner who knows those words can infer a small mouse with soft/silky fur. Animal names formed by adjective + noun are cross-linguistically common, so the overall meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Silky pocket mouse comes from how the animal looks: silky for its very soft fur, pocket for the small cheek pockets it uses to carry seeds, and mouse because it is a tiny animal. So the name tells you it is a small, soft-furred mouse that 'stores food' in its cheek pockets.