English Explanatory Dictionary

gnat

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any small insect of the order Diptera, specifically within the suborder Nematocera.
  2. An annoying person.
noun
  1. A type of jet fighter aircraft.

Pronunciation

/næt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-gnat.wav

Word forms

gnat gnats

Etymology

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 (“mosquito”), German Gnatz (“scabs; rash; scabies; stinginess”). Related also gnit and gnaw.

Related words

gnit midge

Derived words

box the gnat Clear Lake gnat fungus gnat gall gnat gnat bug gnatcatcher gnateater gnatless gnatlike gnatling gnatproof gnat's gnat's arse gnat's ass gnat's chuff gnat's prick gnat-strain gnat-strainer gnat-straining gnat's whisker gnatty gnatworm gnatwren strain at a gnat
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