Mouse

Mouse

Noun / Verb · /maʊs/

Definition

(Noun) a small rodent with a pointed snout, relatively large eyes and ears, and a long tail; the plural being mice; a computer input device moved across a surface to control a cursor; (Verb) to hunt mice; (informal) to move quietly or stealthily.

Origin

From Old English mūs (the rodent), from Proto-Germanic *mūs, from Proto-Indo-European *mū́s (mouse, also rat). Cognate with German Maus, Dutch muis, Latin mus (giving museum and muscat through the Muse connection), and Greek mys. The computer mouse was named by Douglas Engelbart who demonstrated it at the Mother of All Demos in 1968 — the name coming from the device's shape and the cable that resembled a tail.