meadow mouse
- noun
- /ˈmɛdoʊ maʊs/
- US
:
ratón de pradera
- The meadow mouse scurried across the grass.
Examples
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The field biologist studied the habits of the meadow mouse for her research on local wildlife.
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Farmers often find meadow mice living in the edges of their hay fields.
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We spotted a meadow mouse darting through the tall grass near the riverbank.
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Did you see a meadow mouse in the field?
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The farmer noticed that the meadow mouse had made a nest among the tall grass in his field.
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The meadow mouse quickly scurried across the open area, searching for seeds and plants to eat.
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During the spring, the meadow mouse is often seen foraging for food in the lush green grass.
Synonyms
587
1.0
A small animal with a pointed nose, small ears, and a long tail
117
2.8
A small animal like a mouse or rat that uses strong front teeth to chew
11
6.3
A small animal like a mouse with a short tail that lives in fields and meadows
4
2.1
A small wild mouse that lives in fields or meadows
A small mouse-like animal with a short tail and stocky body that lives in grasslands in northern North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is a straightforward compound of 'meadow' + 'mouse' so the meaning 'a mouse (rodent) that lives in a meadow' is directly derivable from the constituents and matches the given definition (vole). This compositional, literal pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand the MWE.
Etymology
Meadow mouse comes from the simple picture of a small mouse living in a grassy meadow. People used that easy name for the animal they saw in fields, so today meadow mouse means the small field rodent also called a 'vole'.