lemming

See also lèmming, and Lemming

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Norwegian, from Old Norse lomundr (“lemming”), perhaps from Sami luomek

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /lɛm.ɪŋ/
• Rhymes: -ɛmɪŋ

Noun

lemming (plural lemmings)

1. Any of the small Arctic and Subarctic rodents of the tribe Lemmini. Three genera of vole are also commonly called lemmings.
2. (figuratively) Any member of a group given to conformity or groupthink, especially a group poised to follow a leader off a cliff.

Derived terms

• bog lemming (genus Synaptomus)
• collared lemming (genus Dicrostonyx)
• steppe lemming (genus Lagurus)
• true lemming (genus Lemmus)
• wood lemming (genus Myopus)
• yellow steppe lemming (genus Eolagurus)

Translations

rodent

Catalan: lèmming (ca) m. Dutch: lemming (nl) m. Estonian: lemming (et) Finnish: sopuli (fi) French: lemming (fr) m. German: Lemming (de) m. Icelandic: læmingi (is) m. Inuktitut: ᐊᕕᙵᖅ Norwegian: Bokmål: lemen (nb) n. Nynorsk: lemen (nn) n.

Polish: leming (pl) m. Portuguese: lêmingue (pt) m. Romanian: leming (ro) m. Russian: лемминг (ru) (l'émming) m., пеструшка (ru) (p'estrúška) f. Spanish: lemming (es) m. Swedish: lämmel (sv) c.

member of a group given to conformity or groupthink

Finnish: laumasielu (fi), sopuli (fi)

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Noun

lemming m. (plural lemmingen or lemmings, diminutive lemminkje)

1. lemming (rodent)

Anagrams

• glimmen

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French

Wikipedia ^fr

Noun

lemming m. (plural lemmings)

1. lemming

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Spanish

Noun

lemming m. (plural lemmings)

1. lemming (rodent)