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Glite Dictionary
Mus musculus

Mus musculus

8.2
A small brown-grey mouse that lives near people and is used in labs
  • noun
  • /mʌs ˈmʌskjʊləs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Mus musculus
  • In many households, Mus musculus can be found seeking food in kitchens.

Examples

  • The Mus musculus is a common laboratory animal used in genetic research.

  • Researchers often use Mus musculus to study the effects of diseases.

  • The cell line E14TG2a is a male Mus musculus embryonic stem cell line that is derived from blastocysts. Method Details

    Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

house mouse
vsMus musculus
1 2.0

A small brownish-grey animal with a pointed nose and long tail that lives in houses near people

is the formal scientific name used in laboratories not the everyday name

Surface Forms

Mus musculus singular
Mus musculus plural

Morphology

Mus + musculus

Both elements are transparent Latin taxonomic components: 'Mus' (the genus name) and 'musculus' ('little mouse'), so the binomial literally denotes a mouse species. Given those constituent meanings, a learner can directly infer that Mus musculus refers to the common/house mouse; taxonomic Latin naming is compositional and similar across languages, supporting predictability.

Etymology

Mus musculus comes from Latin: mus means 'mouse' and musculus means 'little mouse'. So the name is a simple picture of a small house mouse, and that is why it is used for the common mouse found in homes and labs.