Spanish Conversation · Level 107
60 words
Spanish word
lirón
Pronunciation
IPA/liˈɾon/
Meaning
- masculine noundormouse
Example
El lirón se escondió en el árbol.
The dormouse hid in the tree.
More examples
Mi abuelo duerme como un lirón los fines de semana.
My grandfather sleeps like a dormouse on weekends.
Core concept
Small arboreal rodent that curls into a ball to sleep through winter.
Common phrases
dormir como un lirón
sleep like a dormouse
Similar words
ratón: Small long-tailed mouse commonly seen in houses or outdoors.
ardilla: Small tree-climbing mammal with a bushy tail.
hámster: Small pet rodent that stores food in cheek pouches.
Definition in Spanish
Roedor arborícola y nocturno, de tamaño pequeño y hábito de enrollarse para dormir, conocido por su hibernación prolongada.
Word origin
The name goes back to Latin glīs (glīris), adopted into the Romance languages and emerging in Spanish as lirón.
Usage tips
- As a masculine noun the common form is el lirón and the plural is lirones, and in casual speech many people use ratón for generic small rodents rather than lirón.