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Mos·qui·to

(mə-skētō)

n. pl. Mosquito or Mos·qui·tos

See Miskito.

[Spanish misquito, mosquito, from Miskito Miskitu, ethnic self-designation.]

mos·qui·to

(mə-skētō)

n. pl. mos·qui·toes or mos·qui·tos

Any of numerous slender two-winged insects of the family Culicidae, having aquatic larvae and in the adult female a long proboscis, used in most species for sucking blood. Some species of mosquitoes transmit the pathogens that cause certain diseases, notably malaria, yellow fever, and dengue. Also called regionally skeeter. See Note at tater.

[Spanish and Portuguese, from diminutive of mosca, fly, from Latin musca.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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