mite

1 of 2

noun (1)

: any of numerous small acarid arachnids that often infest animals, plants, and stored foods and include important disease vectors

mite

2 of 2

noun (2)

1
: a small coin or sum of money
2
a
: a very little : bit
b
: a very small object or creature
Phrases
a mite
: somewhat, rather
could be that I am a mite prejudicedJohn Fischer

Examples of mite in a Sentence

Noun (2) I have only a mite left to buy lunch for the rest of the week the kitten was just a mite, hardly the size of my palm that speech didn't make a mite of sense
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Some people develop blepharitis due to an overpopulation of Demodex, microscopic mites that live at the base of hair follicles. Lindsay Curtis, Health, 4 Sep. 2024 They've been linked to cicadas before, with the Illinois Department of Public Health releasing a report in 2008 that said cicadas were the only insect parasitized by the mites the year prior. Li Cohen, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2024 Most of these bites happen from late summer into the fall, when the mite's populations are very large. Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 13 Aug. 2024 Had the mite not been introduced from Asia, European honey bee genes may have prevailed in the southern United States—and the African strain’s genes would not have been particularly advantageous. Richard Pallardy, Ars Technica, 30 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for mite 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English mīte; akin to Middle Dutch mite mite, small copper coin

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Middle French or Middle Dutch; Middle French, small Flemish copper coin, from Middle Dutch

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near mite

Cite this Entry

“Mite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mite. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

mite

noun
ˈmīt
1
: any of various invertebrates that are tiny arachnids closely related to the ticks, that often live on plants, animals, and stored foods, and that include important carriers of disease
2
: a very small coin or sum of money
3
a
: a very little amount : bit
b
: a very small object or creature

Medical Definition

mite

noun
: any of numerous small to very minute arachnids of the order Acari that have a body without a constriction between the cephalothorax and abdomen, mandibles generally chelate or adapted for piercing, usually four pairs of short legs in the adult and but three in the young larvae, and often breathing organs in the form of tracheae and that include parasites of insects and vertebrates some of which are important disease vectors, parasites of plants in which they frequently cause gall formation, pests of various stored products, and completely innocuous free-living aquatic and terrestrial forms see itch mite

More from Merriam-Webster on mite

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