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midge

[mij]
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noun
  1. any of numerous minute dipterous insects, especially of the family Chironomidae, somewhat resembling a mosquito.Compare gnat(def 1).
  2. a tiny person.
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Origin of midge

before 900; Middle English mygge, Old English mycg(e); cognate with German Mücke, Old Norse mȳ; akin to Greek myîa, Latin musca fly
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

gnomepygmybantamruntLilliputianmanikinmidgehomunculus

Examples from the Web for midge

Historical Examples

  • Do you know that you're riding Midge, and that she's a hard case?

    Garrison's Finish

    W. B. M. Ferguson

  • Kit Midge was thought in the family to be a wonderful little cat.

  • "I've been out on an errand, Sarah," answered Midge, with great dignity.

  • "I'll try real hard," said Midge, as she kissed her mother, again and again.

  • "Well, you can write those that don't matter so much," said Midge, kindly.

British Dictionary definitions for midge

midge

noun
  1. any fragile mosquito-like dipterous insect of the family Chironomidae, occurring in dancing swarms, esp near water
  2. any similar or related insect, such as the biting midge and gall midge
  3. a small or diminutive person or animal
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Derived Formsmidgy, adjective

Word Origin

Old English mycge; compare Old High German mucca, Danish myg
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for midge

n.

Old English mygg, mycg "gnat," from Proto-Germanic *mugjon (cf. Swedish mygga, Old Saxon muggia, Middle Dutch mugghe, Dutch mug, Old High German mucka, German Mücke "midge, gnat"). No certain cognates beyond Germanic, unless doubtful Armenian mun "gnat" and Albanian mize "gnat" are counted. But Watkins, Klein and others suggest an imitative root used for various humming insects and a relationship to Latin musca (see mosquito). Meaning "diminutive person" is from 1796.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
midge in Medicine

midge

(mĭj)
n.
  1. Any of various gnatlike flies, some species of which, such as the biting midges of the family Ceratopogonidae, serve as vectors for parasitic diseases.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.