Mouse n.; pl. Mice
 1. Zool. Any one of numerous species of small rodents belonging to the genus Mus and various related genera of the family Muridae.  The common house mouse (Mus musculus) is found in nearly all countries.  The American white-footed mouse, or deer mouse (Peromyscus leucopus, formerly Hesperomys leucopus) sometimes lives in houses.  See Dormouse, Meadow mouse, under Meadow, and Harvest mouse, under Harvest.
 2. Naut. (a) A knob made on a rope with spun yarn or parceling to prevent a running eye from slipping. (b) Same as 2d Mousing, 2.
 3. A familiar term of endearment.
 4. A dark-colored swelling caused by a blow. [Slang]
 5. A match used in firing guns or blasting.
 Field mouse, Flying mouse, etc. See under Field, Flying, etc.
 Mouse bird Zool., a coly.
 Mouse deer Zool., a chevrotain, as the kanchil.
 Mouse galago Zool., a very small West American galago (Galago murinus). In color and size it resembles a mouse. It has a bushy tail like that of a squirrel.
 Mouse hawk. Zool. (a) A hawk that devours mice. (b) The hawk owl; -- called also mouse owl.
 Mouse lemur Zool., any one of several species of very small lemurs of the genus Chirogaleus, found in Madagascar.
 Mouse piece Cookery, the piece of beef cut from the part next below the round or from the lower part of the latter; -- called also mouse buttock.


 Mead·ow, a. Of or pertaining to a meadow; of the nature of a meadow; produced, growing, or living in, a meadow. “Fat meadow ground.”
 Note: ☞ For many names of plants compounded with meadow, see the particular word in the Vocabulary.
 Meadow beauty. Bot. Same as Deergrass.
 Meadow foxtail Bot., a valuable pasture grass (Alopecurus pratensis) resembling timothy, but with softer spikes.
 Meadow hay, a coarse grass, or true sedge, growing in uncultivated swamp or river meadow; -- used as fodder or bedding for cattle, packing for ice, etc. [Local, U. S.]
 Meadow hen. Zool. (a) The American bittern. See Stake-driver. (b) The American coot (Fulica). (c) The clapper rail.
 Meadow mouse Zool., any mouse of the genus Arvicola, as the common American species Arvicola riparia; -- called also field mouse, and field vole.
 Meadow mussel Zool., an American ribbed mussel (Modiola plicatula), very abundant in salt marshes.
 Meadow ore Min., bog-iron ore , a kind of limonite.
 Meadow parsnip. Bot. See under Parsnip.
 Meadow pink. Bot. See under Pink.
 Meadow pipit Zool., a small singing bird of the genus Anthus, as Anthus pratensis, of Europe.
 Meadow rue Bot., a delicate early plant, of the genus Thalictrum, having compound leaves and numerous white flowers. There are many species.
 Meadow saffron. Bot. See under Saffron.
 Meadow sage. Bot. See under Sage.
 Meadow saxifrage Bot., an umbelliferous plant of Europe (Silaus pratensis), somewhat resembling fennel.
 Meadow snipe Zool., the common or jack snipe.

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 Vole, n. Zool. Any one of numerous species of micelike rodents belonging to Arvicola and allied genera of the subfamily Arvicolinae. They have a thick head, short ears, and a short hairy tail.
 Note: ☞ The water vole, or water rat, of Europe (Arvicola amphibius) is a common large aquatic species. The short-tailed field vole (Arvicola agrestis) of Northern and Central Europe, and Asia, the Southern field vole (Arvicola arvalis), and the Siberian root vole (Arvicola oeconomus), are important European species. The common species of the Eastern United States (Arvicola riparius) (called also meadow mouse) and the prairie mouse (Arvicola austerus) are abundant, and often injurious to vegetation. Other species are found in Canada.

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 Cam·pa·gnol n.  Zool. A mouse (Arvicala agrestis), called also meadow mouse, which often does great damage in fields and gardens, by feeding on roots and seeds.

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 meadow mouse
      n : widely distributed in grasslands of northern United States
          and Canada [syn: meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvaticus]