titmose
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Middle English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Old English māse (“titmouse”),[1] with probable influence from a North Germanic/Scandinavian language such as Old Norse titlingr (“sparrow”) or Icelandic tittr (“tit, small bird”).[2] Tit could be from a base alluding to diminutive size; compare titbit.[3]
Noun
[edit]titmose (plural titmoses)
Descendants
[edit]- English: titmouse
References
[edit]- ^ “titmouse, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, December 2020.
- ^ “tit, n4.”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2021.
- ^ Sargent, L. C., Potter, S. (1974). Pedigree: The origins of words from nature. United States: Taplinger Publishing Company, p. 141
