Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
flittermouse. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
flittermouse, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
flittermouse in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
flittermouse you have here. The definition of the word
flittermouse will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
flittermouse, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From flitter + mouse (compare flickermouse, flindermouse), after Middle Dutch fleddermuys, vledermuys, vlermuys (Modern Dutch vleermuis), from vledderen, vlederen (“to flutter, float, hover”) + muys (“mouse”). Cognate with West Frisian flearmûs (“bat”), Middle Low German vledermūs (“bat”), German Fledermaus (“bat”), Swedish fladdermus (“bat”) and flädermus (“bat”). More at flitter, flutter, flatter, mouse.
Pronunciation
Noun
flittermouse (plural flittermice)
- (now chiefly dialectal) A bat (flying mammal).
1891, Conway Lloyd Morgan, Animal sketches:I thank thee, gentle flittermouse, for these so pleasant memories. Have you ever caught and examined a flittermouse?
- 1894, Philip Stewart Robinson, Birds of the Wave and Woodland, Electronic Edition, unnumbered page,
- The bats wheel overhead, their soft wings crumpling as they turn their somersaults, but never a voice in the air, save sharp needle-points of sound, as flittermouse calls to flittermouse.
1969, Rayner Heppenstall, The Shearers, page 183:They don't bump into folk, blind people don't. They're like flittermice. You never saw two flittermice bump into each other.
Translations