coalmouse, colemouse
(ˈkəʊlmaʊs)
Forms: 1 colmase, 5–6 colmose, 6 cold-, 7 col-, 7– colemouse.
[ME. colmose:—OE. colmáse (corr. to MDu. koolmêze, Du. koolmees, MHG. kolemeise, G. kohlmeise), f. col coal (in reference to its dark colour) + máse (OHG. meisa:—WGer. maisa), a name including several species of little birds, chiefly of the genus Parus: see mose. After the latter became obs. as a separate word, it was corrupted to mouse; cf. tit-mouse. Still very commonly spelt colemouse.]
A bird, Parus ater; also called coal (or cole) titmouse.
| c 1000 ælfric Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 133 Bardioriolus, colmase. a 1050 Voc. ibid. 260 Parula, colmase. c 1532 G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 912 The coldmouse, la messange. 1542 Boorde Dyetary xv. (1870) 270 Tytmoses, colmoses and wrens. 1609 C. Butler Fem. Mon. vii. (1623) Q j, The great Titmouse (which of his colly head and breast some call a Colemouse) is a very harmefull Bird. 1774 G. White Selborne xli. 106 The blue titmouse, or nun, the cole-mouse, the great black-headed titmouse, the marsh titmouse. 1829 J. L. Knapp Jrnl. Nat. 168 That little dark species the ‘coal’, or ‘colemouse’. 1862 Johns Brit. Birds Index, Cole Tit or Cole Mouse. 1874 Yarrell Brit. Birds (ed. 4) I. 489 Coal Titmouse or Coal-Mouse. |
¶ In earlier times the same name was sometimes used to translate L. alcedo, from error as to the latter. (Cf. halcyon, mew.)
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 88 Colmose, byrde, alcedo. c 1450 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 562 Alcedo, a colmose [a wodewale]. 1483 Cath. Angl. 72 A collemase, alcedo. |