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titmouse
noun
Examples of titmouse in a Sentence
Word History
Middle English titemose, tetmose "tit (European bird of the family Paridae)," from tite-, tet-, probably of expressive origin + mose "any of various small Eurasian songbirds of the family Paridae," going back to Old English māse, going back to Germanic *maisōn- (whence also Old Saxon mēsa "tit," Middle Dutch mese, Old High German meisa, Icelandic -meisa), of uncertain origin
Note: The Middle English word was reshaped by folk etymology in early Modern English after mouse entry 1. The word tit was used (and is still used regionally in Britain) for a small horse, a girl or young woman, and a boy. — The Germanic etymon occurs with a suffix in Old Icelandic meisingr "tit" and the Frankish (Old Low Franconian) word behind Old French mesange "tit," Modern French mésange.
14th century, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Titmouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/titmouse. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
titmouse
nounMore from Merriam-Webster on titmouse
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about titmouse
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