lemming Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun any of various short-tailed furry-footed rodents of circumpolar distribution

Nor. lemming, lemende; cf. Sw. lemel, Lapp. lummik.

(Zoöl.) Any one of several species of small arctic rodents of the genera Myodes and Cuniculus, resembling the meadow mice in form. They are found in both hemispheres. ✍ The common Northern European lemming (Myodes lemmus) is remarkable for making occasional devastating migrations in enormous numbers from the mountains into the lowlands.