Where does the word “Flittermouse” come from and What does Flittermouse mean?

Photo of author

Karen Hill

The Flittermouse isn’t a mouse, for it has wings, and mice don’t.

But it does fly rather swiftly and dartingly, so it can be said to flitter, and being a mammal with a body not unlike that of a mouse in size, and sometimes in color, it is not surprising that this creature was known to our ancestors as a flittermouse, after the German Fledermaus or the Dutch vledermuis.

But the older and better-known English name was back, a name now lost in English dialects, though remaining as bawkie-bird in Scotland.

Today we know this flying mammal as a bat.

Related Posts

  1. What does the word “gauntlet” mean and Where does the word gauntlet come from?
  2. What does the word incubus (succubus) mean and Where does the word “incubus” come from?
  3. Where does the word “Toilet” come from and What does the word Toilet mean in French?
  4. What Does the Word Scapegoat Mean and Where Did the Word Scapegoat Come From?
  5. What Does the Word “Clock” Mean in French and Where Did the Word For a Large Timepiece Come From?
  6. What Does the Word “Gimmick” Mean and Where Did the Word Gimmick Come From?