prairie vole
1
8.2
- noun
- /ˈprɛəri voʊl/
- US
:
topo de pradera
- The prairie vole is often studied for its monogamous behavior in the wild.
- male prairie voles
- prairie voles are monogamous
- pair of prairie voles
Examples
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Researchers have found that the prairie vole is unique for forming long-term pair bonds with its mate.
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I always refer back to the vasopressin studies in prairie voles.
Blog text (1) -
And this was the story of the contrast between the Prairie voles and the Montagne voles in their reproductive behavior.
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Still, the animals in question, prairie voles, are a special case, models of faithfulness that put humans to shame when it comes to the delicate topic of monogamy.
Blog text (13) -
In the grasslands, a prairie vole scurries through the tall grass, searching for food.
Synonyms
11
6.3
A small animal like a mouse with a short tail that lives in fields and meadows
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'prairie' specifies the habitat and 'vole' names the rodent, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it is a vole living in prairie regions. This simple noun+noun combination is a common, cross-linguistically familiar compounding pattern and therefore highly transparent.
Etymology
Prairie vole comes from the animal's look and home: a vole is a small, mouse-like animal and a prairie is a wide grassland, so picture a tiny creature running through the tall grass. So, the name means 'a small vole that lives in the prairie'.