lemming
lem·ming
noun
1.
any of various short-tailed furry-footed rodents of circumpolar distribution
Origin
From Danish and Norwegian lemming, from Old Norse lómundr, læmingi, læmingr (“lemming”), perhaps from Sami luomek. Sense 2 derives from a longstanding myth that they exhibit so much herd mentality that populations jump off cliffs to their deaths together.
Phrases
- bog lemming
- collared lemming
- northern bog lemming
- Norway lemming
- steppe lemming
- true lemming
- wood lemming
- yellow steppe lemming
Related words
Broader terms
Narrower terms
Parts
WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.