mouse

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
mouse/maʊs/

▶noun (pl. mice)

• 1 a small rodent that typically has a pointed snout, relatively large ears and eyes, and a long tail. [Many species, especially in the family Muridae.]

• 2 a timid and quiet person.

• 3 (pl. also mouses) a small hand-held device which is moved across a flat surface to move the cursor on a computer screen.

• 4 a dull light brown colour.

• 5 informal a lump or bruise on or near the eye.

▶verb

• 1 hunt for or catch mice.

• 2 use a mouse to move a cursor on a computer screen.

– derivatives
mouser noun.

– origin OE mūs, (pl.) mȳs, of Gmc origin.