lemming
English
Etymology
From Danish and Norwegian lemming, from Old Norse lómundr, læmingi, læmingr (“lemming”), perhaps from Sami luomek.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /lɛm.ɪŋ/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Rhymes: -ɛmɪŋ
Noun
lemming (plural lemmings)
- A small Arctic and Subarctic rodent from any of six genera of similar rodents.
- 1876, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Geographical Distribution of Animals, chapter 2, page 18:
- The well-known lemmings, in severe winters, at long intervals, move down from the mountains of Scandinavia in immense numbers, crossing lakes and rivers, eating their way through haystacks, and surmounting every obstacle till they reach the sea, whence very few return.
- 2014, M.P. Fedunkiw, A Degree of Futility[1], page 61:
- Like a lemming, I followed the crowd, got to the right line and was concentrating hard when queried by the customs officer.
- (figuratively) Any member of a group given to conformity or groupthink, especially a group poised to follow a leader off a cliff.
- 2004, Ilse Hobbs, Jan Havenga, A Practical Guide to Strategy, →ISBN, page 127:
- Lemmings are strongly cohesive, but could be, in organisational terms, highly destructive for the business.
Derived terms
- bog lemmings (Lua error in Module:parameters at line 828: Parameter "ver" is not used by this template. spp.)
- collared lemmings(Please check if this is already defined at target. Replace
{{vern}}
with a regular link if already defined. Add novern=1 if not defined.) (Dicrostonyx spp.) - steppe lemmings (Lua error in Module:parameters at line 828: Parameter "ver" is not used by this template.)
- true lemmings (Lemmus spp.)
- wood lemmings (Lua error in Module:parameters at line 828: Parameter "ver" is not used by this template.)
- yellow steppe lemmings (Lua error in Module:parameters at line 828: Parameter "ver" is not used by this template. spp.)
Synonyms
Translations
rodent
|
member of a group given to conformity or groupthink
|
Dutch
Etymology
From Danish and Norwegian lemming, from Old Norse lómundr, læmingi, læmingr (“lemming”), perhaps from Sami luomek.
Pronunciation
audio: (file)
Noun
lemming m (plural lemmingen or lemmings, diminutive lemminkje n)
- lemming (rodent)
Anagrams
Further reading
- Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.
French
Etymology
From Danish and Norwegian lemming, from Old Norse lómundr, læmingi, læmingr (“lemming”), perhaps from Sami luomek.
Pronunciation
Noun
lemming m (plural lemmings)
Further reading
- “lemming”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Portuguese
Noun
lemming m (plural lemmings)
- Alternative form of lémingue
Spanish
Etymology
From Danish and Norwegian lemming, from Old Norse lómundr, læmingi, læmingr (“lemming”), perhaps from Sami luomek.
Noun
lemming m (plural lemmings)
- lemming (rodent)
Categories:
- English terms derived from Danish
- English terms derived from Norwegian
- English terms derived from Old Norse
- English terms derived from Sami languages
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɛmɪŋ
- Rhymes:English/ɛmɪŋ/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- en:Cricetids
- Dutch terms derived from Danish
- Dutch terms derived from Norwegian
- Dutch terms derived from Old Norse
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- Dutch lemmas
- Dutch nouns
- Dutch nouns with plural in -en
- Dutch nouns with plural in -s
- Dutch entries with topic categories using raw markup
- Dutch masculine nouns
- nl:Cricetids
- French terms derived from Danish
- French terms derived from Norwegian
- French terms derived from Old Norse
- French terms derived from Sami languages
- French 2-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French masculine nouns
- fr:Cricetids
- Portuguese lemmas
- Portuguese nouns
- Portuguese countable nouns
- Portuguese masculine nouns
- Spanish terms derived from Danish
- Spanish terms derived from Norwegian
- Spanish terms derived from Old Norse
- Spanish terms derived from Sami languages
- Spanish lemmas
- Spanish nouns
- Spanish countable nouns
- Spanish masculine nouns
- es:Cricetids