pocket mouse
- noun
- /ˈpɑkɪt maʊs/
- US
:
ratón de bolsillo
- The pocket mouse is a small rodent that stores food in its cheek pouches.
Examples
-
At night, the pocket mouse comes out of its burrow to search for seeds in the desert.
-
Another rodent species, the pocket mouse
Academic text (2002) -
The pocket mouse uses its long hind legs to hop quickly across the sandy terrain.
Synonyms
A small North American mouse with cheek pouches and soft fur
A small pale yellow mouse with very soft fur that lives in deserts
A small pale yellow mouse with soft fur that lives in dry parts of the southwestern United States and Mexico
A small rodent from Mexico with fur lined cheek pouches for carrying food
A small mouse in central United States grasslands that carries food in cheek pouches
A small pocket mouse that lives on dry open plains in the United States
A large mouse from Mexico that stores food in pouches in its cheeks
A small mouse with stiff fur and cheek pouches that lives in dry grasslands
A large mouse with stiff hair that lives in short grass prairies in the United States
A group of small spiny mice from Mexico and Central America
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun-noun compound 'pocket mouse' follows a straightforward composition where 'pocket' modifies 'mouse', so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a kind of mouse associated with pockets or pocket-like pouches. Although the detailed biological traits (cheek pouches, nocturnal habits) are specialized, the basic meaning 'a type of mouse related to pockets' is directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Pocket mouse comes from the animal's cheek pouches that act like tiny pockets and from it being a small mouse. So the name means a little mouse-like animal that stores seeds in its cheek pouches and lives in dry places.
