Wednesday, November 17, 2010

mice, mouses, meeces

In computing, what is the correct plural for "mouse?"  I prefer to say "mouses."  The following from The Free Dictionary explains things:

http://encyclopedia.tfd.com/Computer+mouse

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary (third edition) and the fourth edition of The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language endorse both computer mice and computer mouses as correct plural forms for computer mouse. The form mice, however, appears most commonly, while some authors of technical documents may prefer either mouse devices or the more generic pointing devices. The plural mouses treatsmouse as a "headless noun."
Two manuals of style in the computer industry – Sun Technical Publication's Read Me First: A Style Guide for the Computer Industry and Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications from Microsoft Press – recommend that technical writers use the term mouse devices instead of the alternatives.

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