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lemming
lemming name for several species of mouselike rodents related to the voles . All live in arctic or northern regions, inhabiting tundra or open meadows. They frequently nest in underground burrows, particularly in winter, although they do not hibernate. They feed on grasses, mosses, and roots, and probably on insects. All are about 5 in. (13 cm) long, with stout bodies, thick fluffy fur, small ears, very short tails, and long claws. The brown to black Norway lemming, Lemmus lemmus, of Scandinavia, is the best known, because of its spectacular periodic swarming. Two or three times per decade, this species undergoes a population explosion of such proportions that the lemmings set out in all directions in search of food. They cross bodies of water by swimming and occasionally some reach and enter the ocean, where they drown. This behavior has given rise to folklore about lemmings committing mass suicide, but the population crashes mainly because lemming predators increase in number in response. Other species of the genus Lemmus are found in the northern portions of Eurasia and North America and sometimes exhibit similar swarmings. The snow, or collard, lemmings, Dicrostonyx, found in the arctic regions of Asia and North America, are pure white in winter and brown, gray, or reddish in summer; this color change is unique among rodents. They are also distinguished by the growth in winter of an extremely long two-pronged claw on the third and fourth finger of each forefoot; these claws may function in shoveling snow. Bog lemmings, members of the genus Synaptus, are found in marshy places in North America as far south as the N United States. The wood lemming, Myopus schisticolor, is found in N Eurasia. The steppe lemmings, members of the genus Lagarus, of S Russia and Mongolia, are properly classified as voles; the North American species of this genus, Lagarus curtatus, is found in the W United States and is known as the sagebrush vole. Lemmings are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Rodentia, family Cricetidae. See mouse . |
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"lemming." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lemming." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-lemming.html "lemming." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-lemming.html |
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lemming
lem·ming / ˈleming/ • n. a small, short-tailed, thickset rodent (Lemmus, Dicrostonyx, and other genera, family Muridae) found in the Arctic tundra. The Norway lemming (L. lemmus) is noted for its fluctuating populations and periodic mass migrations. ∎ a person who unthinkingly joins a mass movement, esp. a headlong rush to destruction. |
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"lemming." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lemming." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-lemming.html "lemming." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-lemming.html |
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lemming
lemming Any of several species of herbivorous rodents, native to Arctic regions. They have brown fur, small ears, and a short tail. They occasionally migrate in large numbers when numbers are high, and some species have been known to suffer great losses by drowning while doing so. Family Cricetidae.
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"lemming." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lemming." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-lemming.html "lemming." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-lemming.html |
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lemming
lemming a small, short-tailed, thickset rodent of the Arctic tundra. The Norway lemming is noted for its fluctuating populations and periodic mass migrations, and from this lemming is used to denote a person who unthinkingly joins a mass movement, especially a headlong rush to destruction.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "lemming." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "lemming." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-lemming.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "lemming." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-lemming.html |
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lemming
lemming (Lemmus) See CRICETIDAE.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "lemming." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "lemming." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-lemming.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "lemming." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-lemming.html |
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lemming
lemming XVII. — Norw.
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T. F. HOAD. "lemming." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "lemming." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-lemming.html T. F. HOAD. "lemming." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-lemming.html |
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lemming
lemming •charming, disarming
•Fleming, lemming
•Deeming, scheming, steaming
•trimming • timing • heartwarming
•house-warming
•coaming, gloaming, homing, Wyoming
•assuming
•becoming, coming, forthcoming, mumming, up-and-coming
•oncoming • shortcoming
•homecoming • upcoming
•mind-numbing
•Canning, Manning, undermanning
•Denning, kenning
•caning, entertaining, self-sustaining, uncomplaining
•greening, leaning, meaning, overweening, screening, spring-cleaning
•sweetening • evening
•beginning, inning, thinning, twinning, underpinning, winning
•prizewinning
•lining, signing, Twining, vining
•lightning
•aborning, awning, dawning, morning, mourning, spawning, warning
•Browning, Downing, drowning
•landowning • tuning • cunning
•gunrunning • unquestioning
•widening • stiffening • reckoning
•thickening • happening • sharpening
•opening • fastening • christening
•unthreatening
•lightening, unenlightening
•self-governing
•reasoning, seasoning
•poisoning
•discerning, Herning, turning, yearning
•woodturning
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Cite this article
"lemming." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "lemming." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-lemming.html "lemming." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-lemming.html |
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