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Mosquito
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mos⋅qui⋅to
[muh-skee-toh] 
–noun, plural -toes, -tos.
| 1. | any of numerous dipterous insects of the family Culicidae, the females of which suck the blood of animals and humans, some species transmitting certain diseases, as malaria and yellow fever. |
| 2. | (initial capital letter ) Military. a twin-engined, two-seat British fighter and bomber of World War II, made largely of plywood and having a top speed of 380 mph (610 km/h). |
Origin:
1575–85; < Sp, equiv. to mosc(a) fly (< L musca) + -ito dim. suffix
1575–85; < Sp, equiv. to mosc(a) fly (< L musca) + -ito dim. suffix
Related forms:
mos⋅qui⋅to⋅ey, adjective
Mis⋅ki⋅to
[muh-skee-toh] –noun, plural -tos, (especially collectively) -to for 1.
) -to for 1. | 1. | a member of an American Indian people of northeastern Nicaragua and adjacent areas of Honduras. |
| 2. | the language of the Miskito. |
Also, Mosquito.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To Mosquito
| Mis·ki·to (mĭ-skē'tō) n. pl. Miskito or Mis·ki·tos In both senses also called Mosquito.
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| mos·qui·to (mə-skē'tō) n. pl. mos·qui·toes or mos·qui·tos Any of various two-winged insects of the family Culicidae, in which the female of most species is distinguished by a long proboscis for sucking blood. Some species are vectors of diseases such as malaria and yellow fever. Also called regionally skeeter. See Regional Note at possum. [Spanish and Portuguese, from diminutive of mosca, fly, from Latin musca.] Word History: Flies will never be popular creatures, in spite or because of their omnipresence. Two examples of the fly's influence on our lives can be found in the etymologies of the words mosquito and musket, both of which can be traced back to musca, the Latin word for fly. This Latin word became mosca in Spanish and Portuguese, Romance languages that developed from Vulgar Latin. Mosquito, the diminutive of mosca, was borrowed into English (first recorded around 1583) with the same sense "mosquito" that it had in Spanish and Portuguese. The Romance language French was the source of our word musket (first recorded around 1587), which came from French mousquet, which entered French from yet another Romance language, Italian. From Italian mosca, another descendant of Latin musca, was formed the diminutive moschetta with the senses "bolt for a catapult" and "small artillery piece." From moschetta came moschetto, "musket," the source of French mousquet. The use of moschetta, literally "little fly," to mean "bolt from a crossbow" can be ascribed to the fact that both bolt and insect fly, buzz, and sting. |
| Mos·qui·to (mə-skē'tō) n. pl. Mosquito or Mos·qui·tos See Miskito. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Mosquito
Mos*qui"to\, n.; pl. Mosquitoes. [Sp. mosquito, fr. moscafly, L. musca. Cf. Musket.] (Zo["o]l.) Any one of various species of gnats of the genus Culex and allied genera. The females have a proboscis containing, within the sheathlike labium, six fine, sharp, needlelike organs with which they puncture the skin of man and animals to suck the blood. These bites, when numerous, cause, in many persons, considerable irritation and swelling, with some pain. The larv[ae] and pup[ae], called wigglers, are aquatic. [Written also musquito.] Mosquito bar, Mosquito net, a net or curtain for excluding mosquitoes, -- used for beds and windows. Mosquito fleet, a fleet of small vessels. Mosquito hawk (Zo["o]l.), a dragon fly; -- so called because it captures and feeds upon mosquitoes. Mosquito netting, a loosely-woven gauzelike fabric for making mosquito bars.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Mosquito
Spanish:
mosquito,
German:
das Moskito,
Japanese:
蚊
mosquito
c.1583, from Sp. mosquito "little gnat," dim. of mosca "fly," from L. musca "fly," from PIE base *mu-, perhaps imitative of the sound of humming insects. Colloquial form skeeter is attested from 1839.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: mos·qui·to
Pronunciation: m&-'skEt-(")O, -&(-w)
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -toes also -tos
: any of numerous dipteran flies of the family Culicidae that have a rather narrow abdomen, usually a long slender rigid proboscis, and narrow wings with a fringe of scales onthe margin and usually on each side of the wing veins, that have in the male broad feathery antennae and mouthparts not fitted for piercing and in the female slender antennae and a set of needlelikeorgans in the proboscis with which they puncture the skin of animals to suck the blood, that lay their eggs on the surface of stagnant water, that include many species which pass through severalgenerations in the course of a year and hibernate as adults or winter in the egg state, and that include some species which are the only vectors of certain diseases —see
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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mosquito mos·qui·to (mə-skē'tō)
n. pl. mos·qui·toes or mos·qui·tos
Any of various two-winged insects of the family Culicidae, in which the female of most species has a long proboscis for sucking blood. Some species are vectors of diseases such as malaria and yellow fever.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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