midge

American  

[mij] / mɪdʒ /

noun

1. any of numerous minute dipterous insects, especially of the family Chironomidae, somewhat resembling a mosquito.

2. Chiefly British. a little person.

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midge British  

/ mɪdʒ /

noun

1. any fragile mosquito-like dipterous insect of the family Chironomidae, occurring in dancing swarms, esp near water

2. any similar or related insect, such as the biting midge and gall midge

3. a small or diminutive person or animal

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Other Word Forms

• midgy adjective

Etymology

Origin of midge

First recorded before 900; Middle English mygge, Old English mycg; cognate with German Mücke, Old Norse mȳ; akin to Greek myîa, Latin musca “fly”

Example Sentences

Skelly said she was considering vaccinating her ewes and lambs against bluetongue virus - a disease spread by biting midges that had previously been confined to Africa.

From BBC

Me and Lloyd slumped to school through clouds of midges.

From Literature

The findings, published in Science of the Total Environment, mark the first study to investigate how microplastics affect an Antarctic insect and the first to confirm plastic particles inside wild-caught midges.

From Science Daily

Spread by midges, bluetongue poses no threat to the public or food safety but can affect cloven-hoofed animals like sheep and cattle.

From BBC

Spread by midges, bluetongue poses no threat to the public or food safety but can have serious consequences for cloven-hoofed animals like sheep and cattle.

From BBC