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mūs · Old English
noun · Old English
Reading: mooss
Mouse. A mouse; the selected inherited animal noun.
By c. 1100 — Upper bound for the reported pre-twelfth-century animal noun, not its starting date.
Old English reference region — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
The noun mouse comes through Middle English from Old English mūs; Merriam-Webster dates the animal noun before the twelfth century. Word History — Noun etymology and first known use
Old English mūs is a feminine noun for mouse, also listed with a muscle sense; its historical dictionary transcription is /muːs/. Old English — Noun; Pronunciation
Middle English mous continues Old English mūs, denotes a mouse or shrew, and is transcribed /muːs/. Middle English — Etymology; Noun; Pronunciation
The animal noun is recorded before the twelfth century. Word History — First Known Use, noun
Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for Old English (ca. 450-1100). LanguageTable row olde1238
mous · Middle English
noun · Middle English
Reading: mooss
Mouse or shrew. A mouse or shrew; also used figuratively of a timid or insignificant person.
Date not yet researched — No word-specific date established in the inspected sources.
Middle English reference region — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
The noun mouse comes through Middle English from Old English mūs; Merriam-Webster dates the animal noun before the twelfth century. Word History — Noun etymology and first known use
Middle English mous continues Old English mūs, denotes a mouse or shrew, and is transcribed /muːs/. Middle English — Etymology; Noun; Pronunciation
Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for Middle English. LanguageTable row midd1317
mouse · English
noun · English
Reading: MOWSS
Small rodent. A small rodent with a slender tail; figuratively, a quiet or timid person.
Date not yet researched — No word-specific date established in the inspected sources.
English reference region / Britain — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
The noun mouse comes through Middle English from Old English mūs; Merriam-Webster dates the animal noun before the twelfth century. Word History — Noun etymology and first known use
Middle English mous continues Old English mūs, denotes a mouse or shrew, and is transcribed /muːs/. Middle English — Etymology; Noun; Pronunciation
English mouse names a small rodent, a timid person, a computer pointing device, and by extension its on-screen pointer. English — Noun, animal, figurative person and computing senses
The computer term is explained through resemblance to the animal; the entry reports a 1965 use in Computer-Aided Display Control. English — Etymology
Engelbart and English describe a hand-held X–Y device called a mouse for screen pointing and selection. 1968 paper, p. 395, summary 1a1b–1a1b1; p. 397, §3b4
The noun mouse is pronounced /maʊs/ in the listed British and American standards; verb readings are separately listed. English — Pronunciation, Noun
Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for English. LanguageTable row stan1293
mouse · English
noun · English
Reading: MOWSS
Computer pointing device. A hand-operated device that controls a pointer on a computer display; by extension the pointer itself.
1968 · documented use — Reported written use; not the date of coinage or transmission.
Location not yet researched — The device’s historical development is not represented by an invented language-coordinate origin.
English mouse names a small rodent, a timid person, a computer pointing device, and by extension its on-screen pointer. English — Noun, animal, figurative person and computing senses
The computer term is explained through resemblance to the animal; the entry reports a 1965 use in Computer-Aided Display Control. English — Etymology
Engelbart and English describe a hand-held X–Y device called a mouse for screen pointing and selection. 1968 paper, p. 395, summary 1a1b–1a1b1; p. 397, §3b4
The noun mouse is pronounced /maʊs/ in the listed British and American standards; verb readings are separately listed. English — Pronunciation, Noun