mite

See also: mité and mitë

English

A rust mite

Etymology

Middle English mite, from Old English mīte (“mite, tiny insect”), from Proto-Germanic *mītǭ (“biting insect"; literally, "cutter”), from Proto-Germanic *maitaną (“to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“small”) or *mai- (“to cut”). Akin to Old High German mīza (“mite”), Middle Dutch mīte (“moth, mite”), Dutch mijt (“moth, mite”), Danish mide (“mite”).

Pronunciation

Noun

mite (plural mites)

  1. A minute arachnid, of the order Acarina, of which there are many species.
  2. A small coin formerly circulated in England, rated at about a third of a farthing.
    • 1803, William Blake, Auguries of Innocence
      One mite wrung from the lab'rer's hands
      Shall buy and sell the miser's lands;
  3. A lepton, a small coin used in Palestine in the time of Christ.
  4. A small weight; one twentieth of a grain.
  5. (sometimes used adverbially) Anything very small; a minute object; a very little quantity or particle
    • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 5, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
      “Well,” I says, “I cal'late a body could get used to Tophet if he stayed there long enough.” ¶ She flared up; the least mite of a slam at Doctor Wool was enough to set her going.
    • 1959, Frances Cavanah, Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance, Project Gutenberg, :
      "Those trousers are a mite too big, but you'll soon grow into them."
    • 1956, Janice Holt Giles, Hannah Fowler
      "Silas, now," Esther Whitley had said, "would be a good one for you, Hannah. He's a mite on the old side, but he's steady, an' he's been wed before. He knows the ways of a woman better'n some.
  6. (colloquial, often used affectionately) A small or naughty person, or one you take pity on; rascal
    • 2014, Lorraine F Elli, The Little Town Mouse
      “Tom told me that, but twasn't your fault, the little mite just couldn't wait to be born that's all.” A small smile played on Leah's lips

Synonyms

  • (small amount): see also Thesaurus:modicum.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

mite

  1. Eye dialect spelling of might.

Anagrams

Au

Noun

mite

  1. woman

References

  • transnewguinea.org, citing D. C. Laycock, Languages of the Lumi Subdistrict (West Sepik District), New Guinea (1968), Oceanic Linguistics, 7 (1): 36-66

Catalan

Pronunciation

Noun

mite m (plural mites)

  1. myth

Further reading

French

Etymology

Middle French, from Old French mitte (“kind of insect which gnaws on cloth or cheese”), from Middle Dutch mīte (“moth, mite”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *mītǭ (“biting insect”, literally “cutter”), from *maitaną (“to cut”).

Akin to Old English mīte (“mite, tiny insect”), Old High German mīza (“mite”), Danish mide (“mite”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mit/
  • audio(file)

Noun

mite f (plural mites)

  1. mite (arachnid)
  2. moth, particularly one whose larva destroys something stored by humans

Derived terms

Verb

mite

  1. first-person singular present indicative of miter
  2. third-person singular present indicative of miter
  3. first-person singular present subjunctive of miter
  4. first-person singular present subjunctive of miter
  5. second-person singular imperative of miter

Further reading

Anagrams

Italian

Etymology

From Latin mītis (“mild, mature”).

Adjective

mite (masculine and feminine plural miti)

  1. mild
  2. moderate (price)
  3. balmy, mild (climate)
    quest'anno è stato un gennaio mite
    January has been mild this year
  4. meek (animal)

Anagrams

Latin

Adjective

mīte

  1. nominative neuter singular of mītis
  2. accusative neuter singular of mītis
  3. vocative neuter singular of mītis

References

  • mite in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • mite in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Norman

Etymology

From Old French mitte (“kind of insect which gnaws on cloth or cheese”), from Middle Dutch mīte (“moth, mite”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *mītǭ (“biting insect”, literally “cutter”).

Noun

mite f (plural mites)

  1. (Jersey) mite

Volapük

Noun

mite

  1. dative singular of mit
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