mite

Any of many minute arachnids which, along with the ticks, comprise subclass Acari (syn. Acarina).

Noun

  1. Any of many minute arachnids which, along with the ticks, comprise subclass Acari (syn. Acarina).

    Hypernyms: arachnid arthropod bug invertebrate animal creature critter

    Coordinate Terms: tick spider scorpion insect

  2. A small coin formerly circulated in England, rated at about a third of a farthing.
    • One mite wrung from the lab'rer's hands Shall buy and sell the miser's lands; - 1803, William Blake, Auguries of Innocence:
  3. A lepton, a small coin used in Judea in the time of Christ.
  4. A small weight; one twentieth of a grain.
  5. Anything very small; a minute object; a very little quantity or particle.
    • a mite
    • It takes a thousand men to invent a telegraph, or a steam engine, or a phonograph, or a photograph, or a telephone or any other important thing — and the last man gets the credit and we forget the others. He added his...
    • "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. - 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter...

    Synonyms: atom speck ace atomy aught bissel bit crumb glimpse dab damn dash diddly glint dot spatter drop dusting fleck glimmer hint flip flyspeck grain

  6. A small or naughty person, or one people take pity on; rascal.
    • Today's children at Christmas-time take a cast-off toy to the Toy Service held in many churches, and it is a pretty sight to watch those tiny mites clutching their toys and parting from them.j - 1971, Gwen White,...
    • “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. - 2014, Lorraine F Elli, The Little Town Mouse:

    Synonyms: rogue scamp agitator bad boy bad news bear beggar bhoy blackguard booger boot boy bovver boy brat brawler breedbate buffoon bugger bully charva cutup devil elf enfant terrible firebrand

Origin

From Middle English mite, from Old English mīte (“mite, tiny insect”), from Proto-West Germanic *mītā, from Proto-Germanic *mītǭ (“biting insect”, literally “cutter”), from *maitaną (“to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“small”) or *meh₂y- (“to cut”). Akin to Old High German mīza (“mite”), Middle Dutch mīte (“moth, mite”), Dutch mijt (“moth, mite”), Danish mide (“mite”).

Forms

mites

Derived

air-sac mite a mite bee mite beetle mite bird mite blackberry mite book mite broad mite carpet mite cat fur mite cheese mite chicken mite clover mite common house mite concrete mite dog fur mite dust mite ear mite eyelash mite feather mite flour mite follicle mite fruit mite furniture mite

Verb

  1. Eye dialect spelling of might.