What does "mouse-ear" mean?

A type of small hawkweed native to Eurasia (mouse-ear hawkweed, Pilosella officinarum), commonly found on dry grasslands.

What is a synonym for "mouse-ear"?

Common synonyms include: cerastium, mouse-ear hawkweed.

//ˈmaʊsɪə// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A type of small hawkweed native to Eurasia (mouse-ear hawkweed, Pilosella officinarum), commonly found on dry grasslands.
"Mouse-ear is a low herb creeping upon the ground by small strings like the Strawberry plant, whereby it shoots forth small roots […]"
2
A plant of the genus Cerastium (mouse-eared chickweed).
3
A forget-me-not (genus Myosotis).

"Mouse-ear is a low herb creeping upon the ground by small strings like the Strawberry plant, whereby it shoots forth small roots […]"

From Middle English mousere, musere, equivalent to mouse + ear, in reference to the shape of the leaves.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.