gnat

G2N1A1T1
/næt/

noun

A biting insect, especially a mosquito.

OriginMiddle English gnat ← Old English gnætt ← Proto-West Germanic *gnatt →
Less commonScrabble 5
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Meanings

gnat1

noungnat (plural gnats)

plural gnats

  1. A biting insect, especially a mosquito.

    [A]nd his servant was beside him with a fan to keep away the flies and gnats.

    1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 293
  2. informalAn annoying person.

    "Away thou whining gnat, and trouble me not!"

    1971, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 115

Gnat2

nounGnat (plural Gnats)

plural Gnats

  1. historicalA type of jet fighter aircraft.

Origin

gnat · noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*gʰen-“to gnaw; bite; scratch; grind”
  2. Proto-Indo-European*gʰneHdʰn-
  3. Proto-Germanic*gnattaz
  4. Proto-West Germanic*gnatt
  5. Old Englishgnætt“gnat; midge; mosquito”
  6. Middle Englishgnat
  7. Englishgnat

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.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Gnat · noun

From gnat.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans mug
  • mugany small insect of the order Diptera
Ancient Greek κώνωψ
  • κώνωψ (kṓnōps)any small insect of the order Diptera
Bengali ডাঁশ
  • ডাঁশ (ḍãś)any small insect of the order Diptera
Bulgarian комар
  • комар (komar)any small insect of the order Diptera
Catalan mosquit
  • mosquitany small insect of the order Diptera
Chinese Mandarin 蚋, 蚊
  • 蚋 (ruì)any small insect of the order Diptera
  • 蚊 (wén)any small insect of the order Diptera
Danish myg, stikmyg
  • mygany small insect of the order Diptera
  • stikmygany small insect of the order Diptera
Dutch mug, knut
  • mugany small insect of the order Diptera
  • knutany small insect of the order Diptera
Esperanto kulo
  • kuloany small insect of the order Diptera
Estonian sääsk
  • sääskany small insect of the order Diptera
Finnish sääski, Gnat
  • sääskiany small insect of the order Diptera
  • Gnatfighter type
  • Nutikkafighter type
French moucheron
  • moucheronany small insect of the order Diptera
German Stechmücke, Schnake
  • Stechmückeany small insect of the order Diptera
  • Schnakeany small insect of the order Diptera
  • Mückeany small insect of the order Diptera
  • Gnatfighter type
Hungarian szúnyog
  • szúnyogany small insect of the order Diptera
Irish corrmhíol
  • corrmhíolany small insect of the order Diptera
Italian moscerino
  • moscerinoany small insect of the order Diptera
Japanese 蚋, ブヨ
  • 蚋 (buyo)any small insect of the order Diptera
  • ブヨ (buyo)any small insect of the order Diptera
Korean 모기
  • 모기 (mogi)any small insect of the order Diptera
Latin culex, alucita
  • culexany small insect of the order Diptera
  • alucitaany small insect of the order Diptera
Latvian ods
  • odsany small insect of the order Diptera
Lithuanian mašalas
  • mašalasany small insect of the order Diptera
Norwegian Bokmål knott
  • knottany small insect of the order Diptera
Persian پشه, پشهریز
  • پشه (paše)any small insect of the order Diptera
  • پشهریز (pašeriz)any small insect of the order Diptera
Polish komar
  • komarany small insect of the order Diptera
Portuguese mosquito, mosquitinho
  • mosquitoany small insect of the order Diptera
  • mosquitinhoany small insect of the order Diptera
Russian мо́шка, кома́р
  • мо́шка (móška)any small insect of the order Diptera
  • кома́р (komár)any small insect of the order Diptera
Scottish Gaelic meanbh-chuileag
  • meanbh-chuileagany small insect of the order Diptera
Spanish mosquito, jején
  • mosquitoany small insect of the order Diptera
  • jejénany small insect of the order Diptera
  • majeany small insect of the order Diptera
  • mimeany small insect of the order Diptera
Swedish stickmygga
  • stickmyggaany small insect of the order Diptera
Tagalog niknik
  • niknikany small insect of the order Diptera
Thai ริ้น
  • ริ้น (hín)any small insect of the order Diptera
Turkish sivrisinek
  • sivrisinekany small insect of the order Diptera
Ukrainian мошка, мушка
  • мошка (moška)any small insect of the order Diptera
  • мушка (muška)any small insect of the order Diptera
  • комар (komar)any small insect of the order Diptera
Vietnamese ruồi nhuế
  • ruồi nhuếany small insect of the order Diptera
Welsh gwybed
  • gwybedany small insect of the order Diptera

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with gnat

thatatchatsatflathatmattvatcombatacrobatlatstatnatdatscatMontserratmattewatkatphatprattplattatthermostat
All rhymes →

Anagrams

tangGant
Cite this entry
APA

gnat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gnat

MLA

“gnat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gnat. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gnat,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gnat.

Source: gnat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.