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jumping mouse

jumping mouse

8.1
A small mouse with long back legs that hops far and lives in woods
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒʌmpɪŋ maʊs/
translation icon : ratón saltador
  • Preble's jumping mouse
  • meadow jumping mouse

Examples

  • She has already trapped flying squirrels, chipmunks, jumping mice, deer mice, shrews, and a house mouse.

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  • The jumping mouse can leap several feet into the air to escape predators.

  • Wildlife experts are studying the jumping mouse to understand its unique adaptations.

  • In the dense woodlands, the jumping mouse uses its powerful hind legs to navigate through the underbrush.

Synonyms

Zapodidae
vsjumping mouse
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of small animals like mice with long back legs that jump far

is a common name for similar small rodents not the scientific family
Zapus
vsjumping mouse
  • Specialized
9.9

A small jumping mouse that lives in North America

is the general common name rather than a scientific genus
meadow jumping mouse
vsjumping mouse
  • US
9.5

A small North American animal with long back legs that jumps in meadows

is found mainly in woodlands rather than open grassy areas

Surface Forms

jumping mouse singular
jumping mice plural

Morphology

jump + mouse

The meaning 'a mouse that jumps' is directly and compositionally derived from 'jump' (to leap) + 'mouse' (a small rodent) with the present-participle 'jumping' modifying the noun. This is a standard adjective–noun pattern found cross-linguistically and would be immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Jumping mouse was named by people who noticed this small mouse has long back legs and often jumps far. So the name simply means 'a mouse that jumps'.