# lemming

> English word · Noun · IPA /lɛm.ɪŋ/ · frequency rank #64,494

## Definitions
1. A small arctic and subarctic rodent of the tribes Lemmini, Dicrostonychini and Lagurini.
2. Any member of a group given to conformity or groupthink, especially a group poised to follow a leader off a cliff.

## Etymology
From Danish and Norwegian lemming, from Old Norse lómundr, læmingi, læmingr (“lemming”), perhaps from Sami luomek. Sense 2 derives from a longstanding myth that they exhibit so much herd mentality that populations jump off cliffs to their deaths together.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/lemming