MOUSING

Verb

mousing

present participle of mouse

Noun

mousing (plural mousings)

The act of hunting mice (or similar prey), especially by pouncing on them from above.

(nautical) A turn or lashing of spun yarn or small stuff, or a metallic clasp or fastening, uniting the point and shank of a hook to prevent its unhooking or straightening out.

A ratchet movement in a loom.

Adjective

mousing (comparative more mousing, superlative most mousing)

Impertinently inquisitive; prying; meddlesome.

• L'Estrange

Anagrams

• souming

Source: Wiktionary


Mous"ing, a.

Definition: Impertinently inquisitive; prying; meddlesome. "Mousing saints." L'Estrange.

Mous"ing, n.

1. The act of hunting mice.

2. (Naut.)

Definition: A turn or lashing of spun yarn or small stuff, or a metallic clasp or fastening, uniting the point and shank of a hook to prevent its unhooking or straighening out.

3. A ratchet movement in a loom. Mousing hook, a hook with an attachment which prevents its unhooking.

MOUSE

Mouse (mous), n.; pl. Mice (mis). Etym: [OE. mous, mus, AS. mus, pl. mys; akin to D. muis, G. maus, OHG. & Icel. mus, Dan. muus, Sw. mus, Russ. muishe, L. mus, Gr. my^s, Skr. mush mouse, mush to steal. *277. Cf. Muscle, Musk.]

1. (Zoƶl.)

Definition: Any one of numerous species of small rodents belonging to the genus Mus and various related genera of the family MuridƦ. The common house mouse (Mus musculus) is found in nearly all countries. The American white-footed, or deer, mouse (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. Shak.

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 (Zoƶl.), a coly.

– Mouse deer (Zoƶl.), a chevrotain, as the kanchil.

– Mouse galago (Zoƶl.), 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. (Zoƶl.) (a) A hawk that devours mice. (b) The hawk owl; -- called also mouse owl.

– Mouse lemur (Zoƶl.), 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.

Mouse, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Moused; p. pr. & vb. n. Mousing.]

1. To watch for and catch mice.

2. To watch for or pursue anything in a sly manner; to pry about, on the lookout for something.

Mouse, v. t.

1. To tear, as a cat devours a mouse. [Obs.] "[Death] mousing the flesh of men." Shak.

2. (Naut.)

Definition: To furnish with a mouse; to secure by means of a mousing. See Mouse, n., 2.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

26 January 2025

NEGLECT

(verb) leave undone or leave out; ā€œHow could I miss that typo?ā€; ā€œThe workers on the conveyor belt miss one out of tenā€


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Coffee Trivia

In 1884, Angelo Moriondo of Turin, Italy, demonstrated the first working example of an espresso machine.

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