midge

[mij]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR midge ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of numerous minute dipterous insects, especially of the family Chironomidae, somewhat resembling a mosquito.Compare gnat(def 1).

a tiny person.

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. 2019

Related Words for midge

gnome, pygmy, bantam, runt, Lilliputian, manikin, midge, homunculus

Examples from the Web for midge

Historical Examples of midge

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.
The Nursery, July 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 1
Various
"I've been out on an errand, Sarah," answered Midge, with great dignity.
Marjorie's Busy Days
Carolyn Wells
"I'll try real hard," said Midge, as she kissed her mother, again and again.
Marjorie's Busy Days
Carolyn Wells
"Well, you can write those that don't matter so much," said Midge, kindly.
Marjorie's Busy Days
Carolyn Wells

British Dictionary definitions for midge

midge

noun

any fragile mosquito-like dipterous insect of the family Chironomidae, occurring in dancing swarms, esp near water

any similar or related insect, such as the biting midge and gall midge

a small or diminutive person or animal

Derived Formsmidgy, adjective

Word Origin for midge

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

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.

midge in Medicine

midge

[mĭj]

n.

Any of various gnatlike flies, some species of which, such as the biting midges of the family Ceratopogonidae, serve as vectors for parasitic diseases.