"lemming" meaning in English

See lemming in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /lɛm.ɪŋ/ [UK] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-lemming.wav Forms: lemmings [plural]
Rhymes: -ɛmɪŋ Etymology: From Danish and Norwegian lemming, from Old Norse lómundr, læmingi, læmingr (“lemming”), perhaps from Sami luomek. Sense 2 derives from a longstanding myth that they exhibit so much herd mentality that populations jump off cliffs to their deaths together. Etymology templates: {{der|en|da|-}} Danish, {{der|en|no|lemming}} Norwegian lemming, {{der|en|non|lómundr}} Old Norse lómundr, {{der|en|smi|-}} Sami Head templates: {{en-noun}} lemming (plural lemmings)
  1. A small Arctic and Subarctic rodent from any of six genera of similar rodents. Translations (rodent): леминг (leming) [masculine] (Bulgarian), lèmming [masculine] (Catalan), 旅鼠 (lǚshǔ) (Chinese Mandarin), гувчеԓкаԓгын (guvčeḷkaḷgyn) (Chukchi), lumík [masculine] (Czech), lemming [common-gender] (Danish), lemming [masculine] (Dutch), лемминг (ĺemming) (Eastern Mari), lemo (Esperanto), lemming (Estonian), læmingi [masculine] (Faroese), sopuli (Finnish), lemming [masculine] (French), ლემინგები (lemingebi) (Georgian), Lemming [masculine] (German), avinngaq (Greenlandic), maajooq (Greenlandic), narlumukaaq (Greenlandic), ʻawinaka (Hawaiian), לֵמוּס (lémus) [masculine] (Hebrew), læmingi [masculine] (Icelandic), lemingo (Ido), ᐊᕕᙵᖅ (afinngaq) (Inuktitut), レミング (remingu) (Japanese), 旅鼠 (tabinezumi) (alt: タビネズミ) (Japanese), лемминг (lemmiñ) (Kazakh), хөвхөлжин (xövxölžin) [Cyrillic] (Mongolian), lemen [neuter] (Norwegian Bokmål), lemen [neuter] (Norwegian Nynorsk), lómundr (Old Norse), leming [masculine] (Polish), lêmingue [masculine] (Portuguese), lémingue [masculine] (Portuguese), leming [masculine] (Romanian), ле́мминг (lémming) [masculine] (Russian), пестру́шка (pestrúška) [feminine] (Russian), léming [masculine] (Slovene), sluemege (Southern Sami), luemege (Southern Sami), lemming [masculine] (Spanish), lämmel [common-gender] (Swedish), འགྲུལ་བྱི། ('grul byi) (Tibetan)
    Sense id: en-lemming-en-noun-qXydx-xZ Disambiguation of 'rodent': 94 6
  2. (figuratively) Any member of a group given to conformity or groupthink, especially a group poised to follow a leader off a cliff. Tags: figuratively Categories (lifeform): Cricetids Translations (member of a group given to conformity or groupthink): lemming [common-gender] (Danish), laumasielu (Finnish), sopuli (Finnish), mouton de Panurge [masculine] (French), leming [masculine] (Polish), wyznawca [masculine] (Polish)
    Sense id: en-lemming-en-noun-9q4q~gvv Disambiguation of Cricetids: 44 56 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 5 entries, Pages with entries, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Catalan translations, Terms with Chukchi translations, Terms with Czech translations, Terms with Danish translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Eastern Mari translations, Terms with Esperanto translations, Terms with Estonian translations, Terms with Faroese translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with Georgian translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Greenlandic translations, Terms with Hawaiian translations, Terms with Hebrew translations, Terms with Icelandic translations, Terms with Ido translations, Terms with Inuktitut translations, Terms with Japanese translations, Terms with Kazakh translations, Terms with Mandarin translations, Terms with Mongolian translations, Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations, Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations, Terms with Old Norse translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Romanian translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Slovene translations, Terms with Southern Sami translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations, Terms with Tibetan translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 31 69 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 20 80 Disambiguation of Pages with 5 entries: 25 75 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of Terms with Catalan translations: 31 69 Disambiguation of Terms with Chukchi translations: 28 72 Disambiguation of Terms with Czech translations: 33 67 Disambiguation of Terms with Danish translations: 28 72 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 17 83 Disambiguation of Terms with Eastern Mari translations: 25 75 Disambiguation of Terms with Esperanto translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Estonian translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of Terms with Faroese translations: 31 69 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 17 83 Disambiguation of Terms with Georgian translations: 32 68 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Greenlandic translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of Terms with Hawaiian translations: 32 68 Disambiguation of Terms with Hebrew translations: 25 75 Disambiguation of Terms with Icelandic translations: 31 69 Disambiguation of Terms with Ido translations: 22 78 Disambiguation of Terms with Inuktitut translations: 18 82 Disambiguation of Terms with Japanese translations: 18 82 Disambiguation of Terms with Kazakh translations: 31 69 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 35 65 Disambiguation of Terms with Mongolian translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations: 29 71 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations: 25 75 Disambiguation of Terms with Old Norse translations: 28 72 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 31 69 Disambiguation of Terms with Romanian translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 18 82 Disambiguation of Terms with Slovene translations: 31 69 Disambiguation of Terms with Southern Sami translations: 39 61 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 17 83 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 31 69 Disambiguation of Terms with Tibetan translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of 'member of a group given to conformity or groupthink': 4 96
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: sable mouse Derived forms: bog lemming (taxonomic: Synaptomys spp.), collared lemming (taxonomic: Dicrostonyx spp.), northern bog lemming, steppe lemming (taxonomic: Lagurus lagurus), true lemming (taxonomic: Lemmus spp.), wood lemming (taxonomic: Myopus schisticolor), yellow steppe lemming (taxonomic: Eolagurus spp.), Eurolemming, Norway lemming

Inflected forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "taxonomic": "Synaptomys spp.",
      "word": "bog lemming"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "taxonomic": "Dicrostonyx spp.",
      "word": "collared lemming"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "northern bog lemming"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "taxonomic": "Lagurus lagurus",
      "word": "steppe lemming"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "taxonomic": "Lemmus spp.",
      "word": "true lemming"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "taxonomic": "Myopus schisticolor",
      "word": "wood lemming"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "taxonomic": "Eolagurus spp.",
      "word": "yellow steppe lemming"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "Eurolemming"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "Norway lemming"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "da",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "no",
        "3": "lemming"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian lemming",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "lómundr"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse lómundr",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "smi",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Sami",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Danish and Norwegian lemming, from Old Norse lómundr, læmingi, læmingr (“lemming”), perhaps from Sami luomek. Sense 2 derives from a longstanding myth that they exhibit so much herd mentality that populations jump off cliffs to their deaths together.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "lemmings",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "lemming (plural lemmings)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1876, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Geographical Distribution of Animals, chapter 2, page 18:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A small Arctic and Subarctic rodent from any of six genera of similar rodents."
      ],
      "id": "en-lemming-en-noun-qXydx-xZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "Arctic",
          "Arctic"
        ],
        [
          "Subarctic",
          "subarctic"
        ],
        [
          "rodent",
          "rodent"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "leming",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "леминг"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "lèmming"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "lǚshǔ",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "旅鼠"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ckt",
          "lang": "Chukchi",
          "roman": "guvčeḷkaḷgyn",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "гувчеԓкаԓгын"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "lumík"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "lemming"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "lemming"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "lemo"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "et",
          "lang": "Estonian",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "lemming"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "fo",
          "lang": "Faroese",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "læmingi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "sopuli"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "lemming"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "lemingebi",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "ლემინგები"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Lemming"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "kl",
          "lang": "Greenlandic",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "avinngaq"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "kl",
          "lang": "Greenlandic",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "maajooq"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "kl",
          "lang": "Greenlandic",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "narlumukaaq"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "haw",
          "lang": "Hawaiian",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "ʻawinaka"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "lémus",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "לֵמוּס"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "læmingi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "io",
          "lang": "Ido",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "lemingo"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "iu",
          "lang": "Inuktitut",
          "roman": "afinngaq",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "ᐊᕕᙵᖅ"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "remingu",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "レミング"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "alt": "タビネズミ",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "tabinezumi",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "旅鼠"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "kk",
          "lang": "Kazakh",
          "roman": "lemmiñ",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "лемминг"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "mhr",
          "lang": "Eastern Mari",
          "roman": "ĺemming",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "лемминг"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "mn",
          "lang": "Mongolian",
          "roman": "xövxölžin",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "Cyrillic"
          ],
          "word": "хөвхөлжин"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "lemen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "lemen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "non",
          "lang": "Old Norse",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "lómundr"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "leming"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "lêmingue"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "lémingue"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "leming"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "lémming",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "ле́мминг"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "pestrúška",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "пестру́шка"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "sl",
          "lang": "Slovene",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "léming"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "sma",
          "lang": "Southern Sami",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "sluemege"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "sma",
          "lang": "Southern Sami",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "luemege"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "lemming"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "lämmel"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "bo",
          "lang": "Tibetan",
          "roman": "'grul byi",
          "sense": "rodent",
          "word": "འགྲུལ་བྱི།"
        }
      ]
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 74",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "31 69",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "27 73",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "18 82",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "31 69",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Slovene translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "39 61",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Southern Sami translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "17 83",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "31 69",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "27 73",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Tibetan translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "44 56",
          "kind": "lifeform",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Cricetids",
          "orig": "en:Cricetids",
          "parents": [
            "Rodents",
            "Mammals",
            "Vertebrates",
            "Chordates",
            "Animals",
            "Lifeforms",
            "All topics",
            "Life",
            "Fundamental",
            "Nature"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2004, Ilse Hobbs, Jan Havenga, A Practical Guide to Strategy, →ISBN, page 127:",
          "text": "Lemmings are strongly cohesive, but could be, in organisational terms, highly destructive for the business.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, M.P. Fedunkiw, A Degree of Futility, page 61:",
          "text": "Like a lemming, I followed the crowd, got to the right line and was concentrating hard when queried by the customs officer.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Any member of a group given to conformity or groupthink, especially a group poised to follow a leader off a cliff."
      ],
      "id": "en-lemming-en-noun-9q4q~gvv",
      "links": [
        [
          "conformity",
          "conformity"
        ],
        [
          "groupthink",
          "groupthink"
        ],
        [
          "follow a leader off a cliff",
          "follow someone off a cliff"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figuratively) Any member of a group given to conformity or groupthink, especially a group poised to follow a leader off a cliff."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "member of a group given to conformity or groupthink",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "lemming"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "member of a group given to conformity or groupthink",
          "word": "laumasielu"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "member of a group given to conformity or groupthink",
          "word": "sopuli"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "member of a group given to conformity or groupthink",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "mouton de Panurge"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "member of a group given to conformity or groupthink",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "leming"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "member of a group given to conformity or groupthink",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "wyznawca"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/lɛm.ɪŋ/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-lemming.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e1/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-lemming.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-lemming.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e1/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-lemming.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-lemming.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛmɪŋ"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "sable mouse"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "lemming"
  ],
  "word": "lemming"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Danish",
    "English terms derived from Norwegian",
    "English terms derived from Old Norse",
    "English terms derived from Sami languages",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 5 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɛmɪŋ",
    "Rhymes:English/ɛmɪŋ/2 syllables",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Catalan translations",
    "Terms with Chukchi translations",
    "Terms with Czech translations",
    "Terms with Danish translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Eastern Mari translations",
    "Terms with Esperanto translations",
    "Terms with Estonian translations",
    "Terms with Faroese translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with Georgian translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Greenlandic translations",
    "Terms with Hawaiian translations",
    "Terms with Hebrew translations",
    "Terms with Icelandic translations",
    "Terms with Ido translations",
    "Terms with Inuktitut translations",
    "Terms with Japanese translations",
    "Terms with Kazakh translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "Terms with Mongolian translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations",
    "Terms with Old Norse translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Romanian translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Slovene translations",
    "Terms with Southern Sami translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "Terms with Tibetan translations",
    "en:Cricetids"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "taxonomic": "Synaptomys spp.",
      "word": "bog lemming"
    },
    {
      "taxonomic": "Dicrostonyx spp.",
      "word": "collared lemming"
    },
    {
      "word": "northern bog lemming"
    },
    {
      "taxonomic": "Lagurus lagurus",
      "word": "steppe lemming"
    },
    {
      "taxonomic": "Lemmus spp.",
      "word": "true lemming"
    },
    {
      "taxonomic": "Myopus schisticolor",
      "word": "wood lemming"
    },
    {
      "taxonomic": "Eolagurus spp.",
      "word": "yellow steppe lemming"
    },
    {
      "word": "Eurolemming"
    },
    {
      "word": "Norway lemming"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "da",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "no",
        "3": "lemming"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian lemming",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "lómundr"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse lómundr",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "smi",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Sami",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Danish and Norwegian lemming, from Old Norse lómundr, læmingi, læmingr (“lemming”), perhaps from Sami luomek. Sense 2 derives from a longstanding myth that they exhibit so much herd mentality that populations jump off cliffs to their deaths together.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "lemmings",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "lemming (plural lemmings)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1876, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Geographical Distribution of Animals, chapter 2, page 18:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A small Arctic and Subarctic rodent from any of six genera of similar rodents."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Arctic",
          "Arctic"
        ],
        [
          "Subarctic",
          "subarctic"
        ],
        [
          "rodent",
          "rodent"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2004, Ilse Hobbs, Jan Havenga, A Practical Guide to Strategy, →ISBN, page 127:",
          "text": "Lemmings are strongly cohesive, but could be, in organisational terms, highly destructive for the business.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, M.P. Fedunkiw, A Degree of Futility, page 61:",
          "text": "Like a lemming, I followed the crowd, got to the right line and was concentrating hard when queried by the customs officer.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Any member of a group given to conformity or groupthink, especially a group poised to follow a leader off a cliff."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "conformity",
          "conformity"
        ],
        [
          "groupthink",
          "groupthink"
        ],
        [
          "follow a leader off a cliff",
          "follow someone off a cliff"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figuratively) Any member of a group given to conformity or groupthink, especially a group poised to follow a leader off a cliff."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/lɛm.ɪŋ/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-lemming.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e1/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-lemming.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-lemming.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e1/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-lemming.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-lemming.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɛmɪŋ"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "sable mouse"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "leming",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "леминг"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "lèmming"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "lǚshǔ",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "旅鼠"
    },
    {
      "code": "ckt",
      "lang": "Chukchi",
      "roman": "guvčeḷkaḷgyn",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "гувчеԓкаԓгын"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "lumík"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "lemming"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "lemming"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "lemo"
    },
    {
      "code": "et",
      "lang": "Estonian",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "lemming"
    },
    {
      "code": "fo",
      "lang": "Faroese",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "læmingi"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "sopuli"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "lemming"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "lemingebi",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "ლემინგები"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Lemming"
    },
    {
      "code": "kl",
      "lang": "Greenlandic",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "avinngaq"
    },
    {
      "code": "kl",
      "lang": "Greenlandic",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "maajooq"
    },
    {
      "code": "kl",
      "lang": "Greenlandic",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "narlumukaaq"
    },
    {
      "code": "haw",
      "lang": "Hawaiian",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "ʻawinaka"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "lémus",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "לֵמוּס"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "læmingi"
    },
    {
      "code": "io",
      "lang": "Ido",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "lemingo"
    },
    {
      "code": "iu",
      "lang": "Inuktitut",
      "roman": "afinngaq",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "ᐊᕕᙵᖅ"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "remingu",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "レミング"
    },
    {
      "alt": "タビネズミ",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "tabinezumi",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "旅鼠"
    },
    {
      "code": "kk",
      "lang": "Kazakh",
      "roman": "lemmiñ",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "лемминг"
    },
    {
      "code": "mhr",
      "lang": "Eastern Mari",
      "roman": "ĺemming",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "лемминг"
    },
    {
      "code": "mn",
      "lang": "Mongolian",
      "roman": "xövxölžin",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic"
      ],
      "word": "хөвхөлжин"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "lemen"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "lemen"
    },
    {
      "code": "non",
      "lang": "Old Norse",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "lómundr"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "leming"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "lêmingue"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "lémingue"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "leming"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "lémming",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "ле́мминг"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "pestrúška",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "пестру́шка"
    },
    {
      "code": "sl",
      "lang": "Slovene",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "léming"
    },
    {
      "code": "sma",
      "lang": "Southern Sami",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "sluemege"
    },
    {
      "code": "sma",
      "lang": "Southern Sami",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "luemege"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "lemming"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "lämmel"
    },
    {
      "code": "bo",
      "lang": "Tibetan",
      "roman": "'grul byi",
      "sense": "rodent",
      "word": "འགྲུལ་བྱི།"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "member of a group given to conformity or groupthink",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "lemming"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "member of a group given to conformity or groupthink",
      "word": "laumasielu"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "member of a group given to conformity or groupthink",
      "word": "sopuli"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "member of a group given to conformity or groupthink",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "mouton de Panurge"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "member of a group given to conformity or groupthink",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "leming"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "member of a group given to conformity or groupthink",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "wyznawca"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "lemming"
  ],
  "word": "lemming"
}

Download raw JSONL data for lemming meaning in English (9.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.