European wood mouse
- noun
- UK
:
ratón de campo europeo
- The European wood mouse is often seen scurrying through leaf litter at night.
Examples
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The European wood mouse is known for its yellowish-brown fur and can often be found in gardens.
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Unlike house mice, the European wood mouse prefers wooded areas and gardens.
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Researchers tracked the population of European wood mice in the forest preserve.
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The European wood mouse is often seen at dusk.
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Can you spot a European wood mouse in the garden?
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At night, the European wood mouse forages for food among the fallen leaves in the forest.
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During our nature walk, we spotted a European wood mouse darting across the path in the woods.
Synonyms
1
4.5
A small furry animal with a long tail that lives in woods
A small brown mouse that lives in woods and gardens and is active at night
A small mouse that lives in fields, woods, or gardens and is active at night
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small mouse found in woods in Europe' is directly derivable from the constituents: 'European' (from Europe) + 'wood' (wooded area) + 'mouse' (small rodent). This adjective+noun and noun-modifier pattern is a regular, cross-linguistically common compositional structure, so a B1 learner who knows the words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
European wood mouse is a plain name: European tells you the region, wood shows it lives in forests and gardens, and mouse is the small animal. So the name means 'a small mouse active at night that lives in woods and gardens across Europe'.