Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “mous” come from?

mous (Middle English) comes from Old English mūs, from Proto-West Germanic mūs, from Proto-Germanic mūs, from Proto-Indo-European múh₂s — mouse.

mous (Middle English): mouse or shrew; A coward; one lacking courage; A...

Definitions

  1. mouse or shrew; A coward; one lacking courage; A...

Ancestry of “mous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishmūsmouse
2Proto-West Germanicmūsmouse
3Proto-Germanicmūsmouse
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmúh₂smouse

Words derived from “mous”

  • mouse
  • mice
  • mousy
  • mouser
  • mousey
  • mouseover
  • mouselike
  • oncomouse
  • antimouse
  • mousie
  • mousehole
  • mousepox
  • shrewmouse
  • mousepad
  • woodmouse
  • flittermouse
  • churchmouse
  • mouseclick
  • mousebird
  • mousetail
  • mousekin
  • mouseproof
  • mousekind
  • mousery
Every word from Proto-Indo-European múh₂s →