English Explanatory Dictionary

mite

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Any of many minute arachnids which, along with the ticks, comprise subclass Acari (syn. Acarina).
  2. A small coin formerly circulated in England, rated at about a third of a farthing.
  3. A lepton, a small coin used in Judea in the time of Christ.
  4. A small weight; one twentieth of a grain.
  5. Anything very small; a minute object; a very little quantity or particle.
  6. A small or naughty person, or one people take pity on; rascal.
verb
  1. Eye dialect spelling of might.
name
  1. A minor river in Cumbria, England, which joins the Cumbrian Esk and River Irt near Ravenglass.

Pronunciation

mīt /maɪt/ en-us-might.ogg

Word forms

mite mites

Etymology

From Middle English mite, from Old English mīte (“mite, tiny insect”), from Proto-West Germanic *mītā, from Proto-Germanic *mītǭ (“biting insect”, literally “cutter”), from *maitaną (“to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“small”) or *meh₂y- (“to cut”). Akin to Old High German mīza (“mite”), Middle Dutch mīte (“moth, mite”), Dutch mijt (“moth, mite”), Danish mide (“mite”).

Synonyms

atom speck ace atomy aught bissel bit crumb glimpse dab damn dash diddly glint dot spatter drop dusting fleck glimmer hint flip flyspeck grain halfpennyworth inch iota jot lick mite modicum molecule morceau morsel mote ooch ounce particle pennyworth piece pinch relish scantling semblance scent scintilla scooch scrap scruple shred skerrick skoosh skosh sliver smattering smidge smidgen smidget smidgy smitch

Derived words

air-sac mite a mite bee mite beetle mite bird mite blackberry mite book mite broad mite carpet mite cat fur mite cheese mite chicken mite clover mite common house mite concrete mite dog fur mite dust mite ear mite eyelash mite feather mite flour mite follicle mite fruit mite furniture mite gall mite harvest mite house dust mite house mouse mite itch mite midshipmite mightsome mite box mite cheese miteproof mitey miticide miting mity moss mite oral mite anaphylaxis peacock mite prune mite quill mite rabbit ear mite rabbit fur mite red mite red velvet mite rice sheath mite rust mite spider mite spiny rat mite stock mite storage mite sugar mite trombiculid mite tropical rat mite water mite wheat mite widow's mite Willamette mite
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