vole

n : any of various small mouselike rodents of the family

Cricetidae esp. of genus Microtus having a stout

short-tailed body and inconspicuous ears and inhabiting

fields or meadows [syn: {field mouse}]

hole

The absence of an {electron} in a

{semiconductor} material. In the {electron model}, a hole can

be thought of as an incomplete outer electron shell in a

doping substance. Holes can also be thought of as positive

charge carriers; while this is in a sense a fiction, it is a

useful abstraction.

(1995-10-06)