Milbe

German

Etymology

From Middle High German milwe, milewe, from Old High German miliwa. Cognate with archaic Dutch meluw (“woodlouse”), Middle Low German mēle (“mite”). Further related with German mahlen (“to grind”), Mehl (“flour”), English meal (“coarse flour”).

Also compare Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌻𐍉 (malō, “moth”) and Swedish mal (“moth”), which could be related.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɪlbə/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Milbe f (genitive Milbe, plural Milben)

1. mite (an arachnid)

Declension

Declension of Milbe [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Milbe	die	Milben
genitive	einer	der	Milbe	der	Milben
dative	einer	der	Milbe	den	Milben
accusative	eine	die	Milbe	die	Milben

Derived terms

• Hausstaubmilbe
• Herbstgrasmilbe
• Käsemilbe
• Milbenkäse

 

Further reading

• “Milbe” in Duden online
• “Milbe” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache