Definition

Noun 1. A small rodent: A vole is any of numerous small, stocky rodents resembling mice but typically with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, and smaller ears and eyes. They belong to the family Cricetidae and subfamily Arvicolinae. 2. A card game term: In some card games, especially certain historical or regional games, a "vole" refers to the winning of all the tricks in a deal.

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Animal):

  • The farmer set traps to control the vole population in his field.
  • Unlike mice, voles create extensive runway systems in grassy areas.
  • The ecologist studied the impact of predators on the meadow vole.

• Noun (Card Games):

  • He scored a grand slam by declaring and making a vole.
  • Achieving a vole is a rare and impressive feat in this game.

Advanced Usage

• The term is most commonly used in its zoological sense. The card game usage is archaic or specialized.
• In biology, specific types are often referred to with a modifier, e.g., , , .

Variants and Related Words

• Field mouse: A common, informal name for a vole, though they are not true mice (family Muridae).
• Microtus: The largest genus of voles, often called "meadow voles" or "field voles."

Synonyms

• (For the animal) Field mouse, meadow mouse (these are informal/common names, not scientific synonyms).

Different Meanings

1. Zoology: A small, herbivorous rodent of the family Cricetidae.
2. Card Games: The act of taking every trick in a hand.

Notes

• Voles are crucial for ecosystems as prey for many predators and for soil aeration, but they can be agricultural pests.
• The card game term "vole" is derived from French (, meaning "to fly"), suggesting the swift taking of all tricks.

Noun

1. any of various small mouselike rodents of the family Cricetidae (especially of genus Microtus) having a stout short-tailed body and inconspicuous ears and inhabiting fields or meadows