mite

[ mahyt ]

/ maɪt /

Save This Word!

noun

any of numerous small to microscopic arachnids of the subclass Acari, including species that are parasitic on animals and plants or that feed on decaying matter and stored foods.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also called acarid.

Origin of mite

before 1000; Middle English myte,Old English mīte; cognate with Middle Dutch mīte,Old High German miza midge

Words nearby mite

MITC, mitch, Mitchell, Mitchell's disease, Mitchum, mite, miter, miter box, mitered, mitered jib, miterer

Other definitions for mite (2 of 2)

mite²

[ mahyt ]

/ maɪt /

noun

a contribution that is small but is all that a person can afford.

a very small sum of money.

a coin of very small value.

a very small object.

a very small creature.

adverb

to a small extent; somewhat (often preceded by a): a mite selfish.

Origin of mite

1300–50; Middle English myte<Middle Dutch mīte small copper coin; ultimately identical with mite¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use mite in a sentence

If you happen to be under or near these oak trees, those mites may land on you and bite.
Oak-mite bites: Cicadas may have left D.C. region an itchy gift|Ellie Silverman|July 30, 2021|Washington Post
When the mites drop from trees, they usually land on the upper body, leaving bites on your neck, shoulders or chest.
Oak-mite bites: Cicadas may have left D.C. region an itchy gift|Ellie Silverman|July 30, 2021|Washington Post
The neural net learned to iteratively improve at classifying and identifying various objects—for instance, a mite, a mushroom, a motor scooter, a Madagascar cat.
Geoffrey Hinton has a hunch about what’s next for AI|Siobhan Roberts|April 16, 2021|MIT Technology Review
I still keep pictures on my cell phone of my face mites so that I can show them to people.
‘Gory Details’ dives into the morbid, the taboo — and our minds|Kate Travis|March 1, 2021|Science News

There are two species of little eight-legged mites that live on all of our faces — and elsewhere on our bodies, by the way.
‘Gory Details’ dives into the morbid, the taboo — and our minds|Kate Travis|March 1, 2021|Science News
How eagerly she looks forward to pay day, for that little mite means so much at home.
The Daring Journalist Nellie Bly Hasn’t Lost Her Cred in a Century|Jessica Ferri|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not the greatest tragedy in the world, perhaps, but a mite sad.
U.S. Wants Freedom from ‘Filthy’ French Cheese|Alice Guilhamon, Christopher Dickey|July 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
OPEC meets in Vienna on Friday, a meeting that will, according to the Wall Street Journal, be a mite testy.
Fracking is Pitting OPEC Members Against Each Other. It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Bunch of Cartel Members.|Megan McArdle|May 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Predicting Palestinian genocide of Jews under a one-state solution is a mite farfetched, I would submit.
Accusing Each Other Of Genocide|Mira Sucharov|March 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This made him look a mite desperate and distinctly unpresidential.
Yes, The Debate Moderator Screwed Up. That's Life.|Megan McArdle|October 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
One would not have wanted her white neck a mite less full or her beautiful arms more slender.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
To think,” said the younger Englishwoman to her sister, “of this wee mite travelling about in an open motor!
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Them's ther very words I heered him say, 'n' I wuzn't ennythin' but a mite, but I didn't furgit it.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
The itch-mite (Acarus scabiei) and the louse (Pediculus capitis, corporis, vel pubis) are the more common members of the group.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
I own a mite of land along the railroad, Johnnie, but you buy all the rest from the falls to the station.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland

British Dictionary definitions for mite (1 of 2)

mite¹

/ (maɪt) /

noun

any of numerous small free-living or parasitic arachnids of the order Acarina (or Acari) that can occur in terrestrial or aquatic habitatsSee also gall mite, harvest mite, itch mite, spider mite Compare tick 2 Related adjective: acaroid

Word Origin for mite

Old English mīte; compare Old High German mīza gnat, Dutch mijt

British Dictionary definitions for mite (2 of 2)

mite²

/ (maɪt) /

noun

a very small particle, creature, or object

a very small contribution or sum of moneySee also widow's mite

a former Flemish coin of small value

a mite informal somewhathe's a mite foolish

Word Origin for mite

C14: from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch mīte; compare mite 1

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

Medical definitions for mite

mite

[ mīt ]

Any of numerous small or minute arachnids of the order Acarina, certain species of which are parasitic on animals and plants, infest stored food products, and in some cases transmit disease.

Scientific definitions for mite

mite

[ mīt ]

Any of various very small arachnids of the subclass Acari that often live as parasites on other animals or plants. Like ticks and unlike spiders, mites have no division between the cephalothorax and abdomen.

mite

Origin of mite

Words nearby mite

Other definitions for mite (2 of 2)

Origin of mite

Words related to mite

How to use mite in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mite (1 of 2)

Word Origin for mite

British Dictionary definitions for mite (2 of 2)

Word Origin for mite

Medical definitions for mite

Scientific definitions for mite