arvicole
|ar-vi-cole|
🇺🇸
/ˈɑːrvɪkoʊl/
🇬🇧
/ˈɑːvɪkəʊl/
field-dweller; vole-related
Etymology
'arvicole' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'arvicola', where 'arvi-' meant 'field' and '-cola' meant 'dweller'.
'arvicole' came into English usage via Medieval/Scientific Latin from Latin 'arvicola' and was adapted into English as a technical term referring to field-dwelling rodents (Arvicolinae).
Initially it meant 'field-dweller' (a literal compound in Latin), but over time it evolved into a technical English term meaning 'relating to or denoting voles/field mice'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a vole or field mouse; a small rodent of the subfamily Arvicolinae (meadow and water voles and related species).
After the wet spring, the arvicole population expanded across the meadows.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
relating to or characteristic of voles or field mice.
Researchers studied arvicole behavior in the restored wetland.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/25 03:28