# mouse

> English word · Noun · IPA /maʊs/ · frequency rank #4,255

## Definitions
1. A rodent, typically having a small body, dark fur, and a long tail.
2. Any small rodent of the genus Mus.
3. A quiet or shy person.
4. An input device that is moved over a pad or other flat surface to produce a corresponding movement of a pointer on a graphical display.
5. A pointer.
6. A facial hematoma or black eye.
7. 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.
8. A familiar term of endearment.
9. A match used in firing guns or blasting.
10. A small model of (a fragment of) Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory with desirable properties (depending on the context).
11. A small cushion for a woman's hair.
12. Part of a hind leg of beef, next to the round.

## Etymology
From Middle English mous, from Old English mūs, from Proto-West Germanic *mūs, from Proto-Germanic *mūs, from Proto-Indo-European *múHs.
Cognates
Germanic cognates include Old Frisian mūs, Old Saxon mūs (German Low German Muus), Dutch muis, Old High German mūs (German Maus), Old Norse mús (Swedish mus, Danish mus, Norwegian mus, Icelandic mús, Faroese mús).
Indo-European cognates include Ancient Greek μῦς (mûs), Latin mūs, Spanish mur, Armenian մուկ (muk), Old Church Slavonic мꙑшь (myšĭ) (Russian мышь (myšʹ)), Albanian mi, Persian موش (muš), Northern Kurdish mişk, Sanskrit मूष् (mūṣ).
The computing sense was coined by American engineer Bill English in 1965 and first used publicly in a publication titled "Computer-Aided Display Control", in reference to the similarity with the animal.

## Easily confused with
- **must** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mouse-vs-must)
- **move** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mouse-vs-move)
- **mute** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mouse-vs-mute)
- **muse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mouse-vs-muse)
- **musk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mouse-vs-musk)
- **mule** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mouse-vs-mule)
- **Musa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mouse-vs-musa)
- **mush** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mouse-vs-mush)
- **movie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mouse-vs-movie)
- **mouth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mouse-vs-mouth)
- **muses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mouse-vs-muses)
- **mousse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mouse-vs-mousse)
- **moe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/moe-vs-mouse)
- **MoS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mos-vs-mouse)
- **mou** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mou-vs-mouse)
- **more** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/more-vs-mouse)
- **most** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/most-vs-mouse)
- **mode** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mode-vs-mouse)
- **moss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/moss-vs-mouse)
- **moms** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/moms-vs-mouse)

## Common misspellings (5)
`mmouse`, `mosue`, `moues`, `muose`, `omuse`

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