mouse

mouse · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A small rodent with a pointed snout, relatively large ears, and a long tail.

  2. 2.

    To hunt for or catch mice.

  3. 3.

    (computing) A handheld device that controls a cursor on a computer screen.

  4. 4.

    A shy, timid person.

Forms

plural: mice

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    quiet as a mouse — Very quiet.
  • •
    play cat and mouse — To toy with someone before defeating them.

Related words

See also: mice, rat, rodent
Synonyms: rodent

Etymology

From Old English mūs, from Proto-Germanic mūs, from Proto-Indo-European múh₂s. The computer sense was coined by Douglas Engelbart in the 1960s because the device resembled a mouse with its cord as a tail.