mosquito

[ muh-skee-toh ]
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noun,plural mos·qui·toes, mos·qui·tos.
  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. Mosquito, Military. 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).

Origin of mosquito

1
First recorded in 1575–85; from Spanish, equivalent to mosc(a) “fly” (from Latin musca ) + -ito diminutive suffix

Other words from mosquito

  • mos·qui·to·ey, adjective

Words Nearby mosquito

Other definitions for Mosquito (2 of 2)

Mosquito
[ muh-skee-toh ]

noun,plural Mos·qui·tos, (especially collectively) Mos·qui·to.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mosquito in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mosquito

mosquito

/ (məˈskiːtəʊ) /


nounplural -toes or -tos
  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

Origin of mosquito

1
C16: from Spanish, diminutive of mosca fly, from Latin musca

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