flittermouse

Word origin

From flitter + mouse (compare flickermouse, flindermouse), after Middle Dutch fleddermuys, vledermuys, vlermuys (Modern Dutch vleermuis), from vledderen, vlederen (“to flutter, float, hover”) + muys (“mouse”). Cognate with West Frisian flearmûs (“bat”), Middle Low German vledermūs (“bat”), German Fledermaus (“bat”), Swedish fladdermus (“bat”) and flädermus (“bat”). More at flitter, flutter, flatter, mouse.

Used in a sentence

• “I thank thee, gentle flittermouse, for these so pleasant memories. Have you ever caught and examined a flittermouse?”

• “Now while they rested, a flittermouse flew forth from the Witchland booths and went widdershins round the wrastling ground and so returned silently whence she came.”

• “They don't bump into folk, blind people don't. They're like flittermice. You never saw two flittermice bump into each other.”

Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0