midge

C2 Topic:Animals

US /mɪdʒ/ UK /mɪdʒ/ See IPA manual

Freq #21427

Meanings

1

noun
a very small two-winged fly, including both biting and non-biting kinds

A cloud of midge insects hovered above the damp grass at dusk.
2

noun
informal or dated: a very small, short, or seemingly insignificant person

He dismissed the young governess as a mere midge, then discovered her resolve.
3

noun
an artificial fishing fly made to resemble a midge

The angler tied a tiny black midge to the end of the line.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a very small two-winged... gnatsmall fly

2 noun · informal or dated: a very... small personinsignificant person

3 noun · an artificial fishing fly... fishing flylure

Word family

Derived forms midgelingmidgeproofmidgetmidgey

Related forms gnat mosquito fly

Etymology

From Middle English mydge or migge, from Old English mygg, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European base associated with flies. The figurative sense for a small person helped produce midget with the diminutive suffix -et; midge was later sometimes reinterpreted as its clipping.

Topics

Animals

External links

# midge

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /mɪdʒ/
**IPA (UK):** /mɪdʒ/
**Frequency rank:** 21427

## Meanings
1. a very small two-winged fly, including both biting and non-biting kinds
2. informal or dated: a very small, short, or seemingly insignificant person
3. an artificial fishing fly made to resemble a midge

## Examples
- A cloud of midge insects hovered above the damp grass at dusk.
- He dismissed the young governess as a mere midge, then discovered her resolve.
- The angler tied a tiny black midge to the end of the line.

## Synonyms
- gnat
- small fly
- fishing fly

## Derived Forms
- midgeling
- midgeproof
- midget
- midgey

## Related Forms
- gnat
- mosquito
- fly

## Etymology
From Middle English mydge or migge, from Old English mygg, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European base associated with flies. The figurative sense for a small person helped produce midget with the diminutive suffix -et; midge was later sometimes reinterpreted as its clipping.

## Topics
- Animals

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