Link Centre Dictionary

gnat

UK/næt/ US/ˈnæt/ rare informal

noun

1.

any of various small biting flies: midges; biting midges; black flies; sand flies

2.

Origin

From Middle English gnat, from Old English gnætt (“gnat; midge; mosquito”), from Proto-West Germanic *gnatt, *gnattu, from Proto-Germanic *gnattaz, *gnattuz (“gnat”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰneHdʰn-, *gʰneHd- (“to gnaw; scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰen- (“to gnaw; bite; scratch; grind”). Cognate with Low German Gnatte (“gnat”), dialectal Swedish gnatt (“mosquito”), German Gnatz (“scabs; rash; scabies; stinginess”). Related also gnit and gnaw.

Phrases

  • box the gnat
  • Clear Lake gnat
  • fungus gnat
  • gall gnat
  • gnat bug
  • gnat's arse
  • gnat's ass
  • gnat's chuff

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.