vesper mouse
- noun
- /ˈvɛspər maʊs/
- US
:
ratón vespertilio
- The vesper mouse has distinctive white feet and underparts that help identify it in the forest.
Examples
-
While hiking in the woods, we spotted a vesper mouse scurrying among the leaves.
-
An ecological assessment of reservoir hosts identified the large vesper mouse (Calomys callosus) as a reservoir host of LNV in Bolivia (20).
Academic text (2012) -
The scientist studied the behavior of the vesper mouse to understand its habitat preferences.
Synonyms
587
1.0
A small animal with a pointed nose, small ears, and a long tail
1
4.5
A small furry animal with a long tail that lives in woods
A small North American forest mouse with white feet and a light belly
A small North American forest mouse with white feet and belly
Surface Forms
Morphology
vesper + mouse
The first constituent 'vesper' is obscure (not in the provided dictionary entry) and unlikely to be known by an average B1 learner; even if interpreted as 'evening', the compound refers to a specific species name rather than a predictable semantic composition. Species/common names are often arbitrary or conventional, so the overall meaning ('a particular type of woodland mouse with white feet and underparts') cannot be reliably derived from the parts.
Etymology
Vesper mouse comes from the old word vesper, which means 'evening'. One simple reason for the name is that this small mouse is most active at dusk and during the night, so the name points to its 'evening' habits.