TITMOUSE

noun (plural titmice) Etymology: by folk etymology from Middle English titmose, from *tit any small object or creature + mose ~, from Old English māse; akin to Old High German meisa ~ Date: 14th century any of several small North American oscine birds (genus Baeolophus of the family Paridae) that are related to the chickadees, have small bills and usually long tails, and have been sometimes placed especially formerly in a related genus ( Parus )