dormouse

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a small Old World rodent with a furry tail that hibernates or becomes torpid in cold weather

   A dormouse slept through the winter in a nest of leaves.

2. 2
   noun

   a person who sleeps a great deal or readily falls asleep

   After the long journey, he became a dormouse by the fire.

From Middle English dormowse, of uncertain origin. The second element was understood as mouse, while the first may be related to an old word meaning numb or dormant; the familiar association with French dormir, 'to sleep,' is probably secondary.

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