ˈtitˌmau̇s noun
( plural tit·mice -mīs)
Etymology: Middle English titmose, titemose, from (assumed) Middle English tit, tite, any small object or creature (perhaps from Old English titt, tit teat) + Middle English mose titmouse, from Old English māse; akin to Old High German meisa titmouse — more at teat
: any of numerous widely distributed small passerine birds of the family Paridae and especially of the genus Parus that are related to the nuthatches but longer tailed, are arboreal and largely insectivorous although they do not creep up and down on tree trunks as do the nuthatches, have soft and fluffy plumage with gray, black, and white as the prevailing colors in most forms, and mostly nest in holes in trees although some build a pendulous nest — compare blue tit , chickadee , coal tit , crested titmouse , great tit , long-tailed tit , marsh tit , tufted titmouse