'mouse' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'mūs', where Proto-Germanic '*mūs-' meant 'mouse'.

'mouse' changed from Old English 'mūs' (with Old English plural 'mȳs' or 'mys'), and through Middle English forms it eventually became the modern English 'mouse' with the irregular plural 'mice'.

Initially, it meant 'a small rodent'; over time the primary meaning has remained the same, though it was later extended metaphorically to mean a 'computer pointing device'.