#yearoftherat #rat #rodents #mouse # termiology #classicalgreek #latin
A Short Tale of Mouse and Rats
Many ancient languages use the same or related words for various species of rodents and insectivores.
However #ClassicalGreek while not distinguishing between rats and mice did have a variety of terms for small mammals.
(N.B. Rat comes from Germanic #rattaz)
In Both Latin and Greek mouse and mice are MUS which may possibly come from the verb muoo and meant perhaps something like the hidden one? But the humble mouse is however also Sminthos.
Here's some language trivia nezumi the Japanese for rodents may have also originally had that meaning too!
Voles were seen as a kind of mice being called field mice in Latin but arouraios in Greek a term also applied to hamsters and rats.
Squirrels which are written with characters meaning treerat in East Asia were skiouros.
Shrews were mogaira. Moles Khooma.
If you're a teacher in a multiethnic ask out students how many names they know for rats and mice and other small creatures?
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