vole

vole ¹  (vl)

n.

Any of various rodents of the genus Microtus and related genera, resembling rats or mice but having a shorter tail and limbs and a heavier body.

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[Short for obsolete volemouse, perhaps from Norwegian *vollmus : Old Norse völlr, field + Old Norse ms, mouse.]

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vole ²  (vl)

n. Games

The winning of all the tricks during the play of one hand, as of bridge; a grand slam.

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[French, probably from voler, to fly, from Old French, from Latin volre, to fly.]

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vole

Noun

a small rodent with a stocky body and a short tail [short for volemouse, from Old Norse vollr field + mus mouse]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

vole - any of various small mouselike rodents of the family Cricetidae (especially of genus Microtus) having a stout short-tailed body and inconspicuous ears and inhabiting fields or meadows field mouse grasshopper mouse - insectivorous mouse of western North America wood rat, wood-rat - any of various small short-tailed rodents of the northern hemisphere having soft fur grey above and white below with furred tails and large ears; some are hosts for Ixodes pacificus and Ixodes scapularis (Lyme disease ticks) pine mouse, pine vole, Pitymys pinetorum - short-tailed glossy-furred burrowing vole of the eastern United States meadow mouse, meadow vole, Microtus pennsylvaticus - widely distributed in grasslands of northern United States and Canada Microtus richardsoni, Richardson vole, water vole - of western North America Microtus ochrogaster, prairie vole - typical vole of the extended prairie region of central United States and southern Canada Arvicola amphibius, water vole, water rat - common large Eurasian vole red-backed mouse, redback vole - any of several voles of mountainous regions of Eurasia and America phenacomys - any of several vole-like terrestrial or arboreal rodents of cold forested regions of Canada and western United States