gnat
See also: Gnat
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English gnat, from Old English gnætt (“gnat; midge; mosquito”), from Proto-West Germanic *gnatt, *gnattu, from Proto-Germanic *gnattaz, *gnattuz (“gnat”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰneHdʰn-, *gʰneHd- (“to gnaw; scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰen- (“to gnaw; bite; scratch; grind”). Cognate with Low German Gnatte (“gnat”), dialectal Swedish gnatt (“mote; particle; atom”), German Gnatz (“scabs; rash; scabies; stinginess”). Related also gnit and gnaw.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
gnat (plural gnats)
- Any small insect of the order Diptera, specifically within the suborder Nematocera.
- (informal) An annoying person.
- 1971, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 115:
- "Away thou whining gnat, and trouble me not!"
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Translations edit
any small insect of the order Diptera
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See also edit
Anagrams edit
Middle English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Old English gnætt, from Proto-Germanic *gnattaz.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
gnat (plural gnattes)
- A gnat or similar insect.
- Something of little worth or importance.
Descendants edit
References edit
- “gnat, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-10-17.
Polish edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *gnatъ.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
gnat m animal (diminutive gnacik)
- (colloquial) large bone
- (slang) gun
Declension edit
Declension of gnat