Consistently one of my favourite things about Swedish is how delightfully literal many words, particularly the compounds, seem to us English-speakers. There are a number of examples of this feature in Swedish words for the animal kingdom (e.g. sköldpadda), including today's word: fladdermus (fladdermusen in the definite, fladdermöss in the indefinite plural).

It means "bat", as in the nocturnal winged swooshing creature, and in Swedish there is no possibility of getting the word confused with the one meaning "stick with which one hits a ball". That's because the component parts of fladdermus are fladder (flutter, flap) and mus (mouse) – giving this word the literal meaning of "fluttering mouse" or "flapping mouse".

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Interestingly, the English word "bat" (for the creature) came from the Scandinavian languages. It is first attested in the 16th century in this phrase: "a Backe, some call it a Bat," and came from a Scandinavian word – natbakka ("night bat") in Middle Swedish, itself presumably the Old Norse word leðrblaka ("leather-flapper").

Before English adopted bakke from, one assumes, Viking "visitors", the native Old English term was hrērmūs – "rearmouse."

Now, in one of the many odd and winding etymological journeys taken by words of the world, modern English refers to the leathery flapping nocturnal creature by the Scandinavian-derived word "bat", while modern Swedish uses a compound with the word mus, just like in Old English.

If only the bats knew the circular paths their names were taking, back and forth across the North Sea.

Example sentences (from the Swedish Nature Protection Society):

*Fladdermöss tillhör jordens äldsta däggdjur. *

Bats are among the oldest mammals on earth

*Det finns 19 fladdermusarter i Sverige. *

There are 19 species of bat in Sweden.

En fladdermus äter mycket mygg.

A bat eats a lot of mosquitoes.

Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local's Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local's journalists, is available to order. Head to lysforlag.com/vvv to read more about it. It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Bokus or Adlibris.