mosquito
/mɒˈskiːtəʊ
/
noun (plural mosquitoes)
A slender long-legged fly with aquatic larvae. The bite of the bloodsucking female can transmit a number of serious diseases including malaria and elephantiasis.
- Culex, Anopheles, and other genera, family Culicidae.
- Only 30 years old, he died of yellow fever, transmitted by a mosquito's bite.
- The pesticide kills mosquitoes, the blood-sucking pests that spread malaria.
Origin
Late 16th century: from Spanish and Portuguese, diminutive of mosca, from Latin musca 'fly'.
Rhymes
- to beat all ——s
- to beat the band
- to begin with
- to be going on with
- to be honest
- to be on (also at) the receiving end
- to be on the safe side
- to be sure
- Tobin tax
- Tobit
- to bits
- toboggan
- tobogganer
- tobogganing
- tobogganist
- tobramycin
- Tobruk
- toby
- Toby jug
- tobyman
- TOC
- to call one's own
- Tocantins
- to cap it all
- toccata