Where does “mosquito” come from?
Mosquito comes from Spanish mosquito, diminutive of Spanish mosca from Latin musca, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mu-.
mosquito (English): A small flying insect of the family Culicidae,...
Definitions
- A small flying insect of the family Culicidae,...
Ancestry of “mosquito”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Spanish | Mosquito | — |
| 2 | Old Spanish | mosquito | Diminutive of mosca; a mosquito |
| 3 | Old Spanish | mosca | fly |
| 4 | Latin | musca | a fly; an inquisitive or prying people |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μυῖα | a fly |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mūs- | fly, stinging fly, gnat; moist, damp; swamp,... |
Words derived from “mosquito”