# mouse

Pronunciation: say "MOWS" /maʊs/

## Noun

1. A small rodent with a pointed snout, rounded ears and a long thin tail; also any similar small animal.
   - Simple: A small furry animal with a pointed nose, round ears and a long thin tail.
   - _A mouse had been nibbling at the seeds stored in the shed._
   - _A gray house mouse darted across the kitchen floor and vanished under the refrigerator._
2. A small hand-held device moved on a flat surface to control a pointer on a computer screen; also loosely the pointer itself.
   - Simple: A small device you move with your hand to control the arrow on a computer screen.
   - _He replaced his worn-out mouse with a quieter wireless model._
   - _A responsive mouse makes detailed photo editing far less frustrating._
4. A timid, quiet, or shy person.
   - Simple: A very quiet, shy person who avoids attention.
   - _She seemed a mouse at first, but proved fearless once the pressure was on._
   - _The new intern was a complete mouse during the morning meetings._
7. A swelling or bruise on the face, especially a black eye.
   - Simple: A bruise or swelling on the face, especially a black eye, usually from being hit.
   - _He woke up the morning after the brawl with a purple mouse under his eye._
   - _Between rounds, the cutman pressed cold metal to the mouse so her eye wouldn't swell shut._

## Verb

3. To navigate on a computer by means of a mouse.
   - Simple: To move around on a computer screen by using a mouse.
   - _Users mouse through the nested menus to find the setting they need._
   - _She moused across the toolbar, hunting for the crop tool._
5. To move cautiously or furtively, like a mouse, most often in the phrase "to mouse around."
   - Simple: To move slowly and quietly, the way a mouse does.
   - _The children moused quietly past their parents' bedroom door._
   - _I tend to mouse around the kitchen at midnight, hunting for a snack._
6. Of a cat, to hunt or catch mice.
   - Simple: To hunt and catch mice, the way a cat does.
   - _Barn cats mouse through the winter to keep the rodent population down._
   - _A cat that will not mouse is of little use on a working farm._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A cut of beef taken from the hind leg, lying next to the round.
- (noun) A length of slow match used to set off a firearm or a blasting charge.
- (noun) A binding of spun yarn or a metal clasp joining the point and shank of a hook to keep it from unhooking or bending open.
- (verb) To secure the open part of a hook, or the pin of a shackle, by binding it with marline, wire or a tie so it cannot slip or work loose.
- (noun) In set theory, a small model of part of Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory chosen for its desirable structural properties.
- (noun) A small cushion placed under a woman's hair to add height or fullness.
- (noun) An affectionate name used for a sweetheart or dearly loved companion.
- (verb) To tear or rip apart, in the manner of a cat tearing at a mouse.

## Origin

The word comes from Middle English mous and Old English mūs, tracing back through Proto-Germanic *mūs to the Proto-Indo-European root *múHs. It has many relatives, including German Maus, Dutch muis, Latin mūs, and Ancient Greek mûs. The computing sense is first recorded in a 1965 report led by American engineer Bill English, and the device was named for its resemblance to the animal.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/mouse (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).