midge

noun

: a tiny dipteran fly (such as a chironomid)

Examples of midge in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
If a mosquito or a midge — a tiny fly – bites an infected critter and then goes for a blood meal from a human, the virus can take root. Maria Isabel Barros Guinle, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024 Scientists were surprised when another kind of midge then picked up the virus from sickened sheep and carried it all the way to Norway. Lois Parshley, Scientific American, 1 May 2018 The mating calls of male Panama cross-banded tree frogs are synchronized to confuse bats and midges. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024 Climate change has worsened the spread of the virus, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as global warming impacts midge populations. Léa Pernelle, Fortune Europe, 21 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for midge 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English migge, from Old English mycg; akin to Old High German mucka midge, Greek myia fly, Latin musca

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of midge was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near midge

Cite this Entry

“Midge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/midge. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

midge

noun
: a very small fly : gnat

Medical Definition

midge

noun
: any of numerous tiny dipteran flies (especially families Ceratopogonidae, Cecidomyiidae, and Chironomidae) many of which are capable of giving painful bites and some of which are vectors or intermediate hosts of parasites of humans and various other vertebrates see biting midge

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