mosquito

¹

[muh-skee-toh]

noun

plural

mosquitoes, mosquitos 

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. Military.,  Mosquito, a twin-engined, two-seat British fighter and bomber of World War II, made largely of plywood and having a top speed of 380 miles per hour (610 km/h).

Mosquito

²

[muh-skee-toh]

noun

plural

Mosquitos ,

plural

Mosquito .

1. Miskito.

mosquito

/ məˈskiːtəʊ /

noun

1. any dipterous insect of the family Culicidae: the females have a long proboscis adapted for piercing the skin of man and animals to suck their blood See also aedes anopheles culex

Other Word Forms

• mosquitoey adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mosquito¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Spanish, equivalent to mosc(a) “fly” (from Latin musca ) + -ito diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of mosquito¹

C16: from Spanish, diminutive of mosca fly, from Latin musca

Example Sentences

A mosquito spots the eminent man and zooms over to wheedle in his ear, but Bashō remains immobile.

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Officials tested everything from drinking water to mosquitoes before the truth emerged: their kidneys had failed.

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“The first human cases of West Nile virus are an important reminder that we all need to take steps to prevent mosquito bites and mosquito breeding,” said Dr. Muntu Davis, L.A.

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"The mosquitoes were just eating us alive," he says.

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Chikungunya is spread by two types of mosquito, neither of which are present in the UK, so there is no risk on onward infection.

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