LEMMING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does lemming mean? 

• LEMMING (noun)
  The noun LEMMING has 1 sense:

1. any of various short-tailed furry-footed rodents of circumpolar distribution

  Familiarity information: LEMMING used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• LEMMING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of various short-tailed furry-footed rodents of circumpolar distribution

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("lemming" is a kind of...):

gnawer; rodent (relatively small placental mammals having a single pair of constantly growing incisor teeth specialized for gnawing)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lemming"):

European lemming; Lemmus lemmus (notable for mass migrations even into the sea where many drown)

brown lemming; Lemmus trimucronatus (of northwestern Canada and Alaska)

gray lemming; grey lemming; red-backed lemming (Old World lemming)

pied lemming (North American lemming having a white winter coat and some claws much enlarged)

southern bog lemming; Synaptomys cooperi (of low bogs and meadows of northeastern and central United States and southern Canada)

northern bog lemming; Synaptomys borealis (of wet alpine and subalpine meadows of Canada and Alaska)

Holonyms ("lemming" is a member of...):

Cricetidae; family Cricetidae (mostly small New World rodents including New World mice and lemmings and voles and hamsters)

 Context examples 

A taxonomic family of rodents that includes hamsters, voles, and lemmings.

(Cricetidae, NCI Thesaurus)