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Definition of titmouse
titmouse
/ˈtɪtˌmaʊs/
tit · mouse
Plural:titmice
titmouse Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
6
Tier
2
Usage
Rare
titmouse Game Scores & Validity
Scrabble US
Scrabble UK
WWF
Wordle Guess
• noun
1
North American A small, active songbird of the family Paridae, native primarily to North America, typically characterized by a distinctive crest of feathers on the head and a stout bill.
Example
"A tufted titmouse visited the backyard feeder, swiftly grabbing a sunflower seed before darting back into the canopy."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for titmouseWord Nuance & Usage
The irregular plural form is 'titmice', which evolved by mistaken analogy with the rodent 'mouse', even though the bird's name has no etymological connection to the mammal.
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'titmose', combining 'tit' (meaning small) and 'mase' (a name for several small birds, from Old English 'māse'). In the 16th century, 'mose' was altered to 'mouse' due to folk etymology.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Titmouse. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/titmouse