gnat

Etymology

From Middle English gnat, from Old English gnætt (“gnat; midge; mosquito”), 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 (“mote; particle; atom”), German Gnatz (“scabs; rash; scabies; stinginess”). Related also gnit and gnaw.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /næt/
• Rhymes: -æt

Noun

gnat (plural gnats)

1. Any small insect of the order Diptera, specifically within the suborder Nematocera.

Anagrams

• Gant, Tang, tang

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡnat/

• Audio

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Noun

gnat m anim

1. (colloquial) large bone
2. (slang) gun