mite

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mite^¹

/maɪt/ US, UK

Sounds like might · Rhymes with -aɪt

Where it comes from

From Middle English mite, from Old English mīte (“mite, tiny insect”), from Proto-West Germanic *mītā, from Proto-Germanic *mītǭ (“biting insect”, literally “cutter”), from *maitaną (“to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“small”) or *meh₂y- (“to cut”). Akin to Old High German mīza (“mite”), Middle Dutch mīte (“moth, mite”), Dutch mijt (“moth, mite”), Danish mide (“mite”).

noun mites

Any of many minute arachnids which, along with the ticks, comprise subclass Acari (syn. Acarina).
A small coin formerly circulated in England, rated at about a third of a farthing. One mite wrung from the lab'rer's hands Shall buy and sell the miser's lands;
A lepton, a small coin used in Judea in the time of Christ.
A small weight; one twentieth of a grain.
adverbial, sometimes Anything very small; a minute object; a very little quantity or particle. a mite
Similar: atom, speck, ace, thought, atomy, aught, bissel, continental, bit, crumb, glimpse, dab
colloquial, often, as a term of endearment A small or naughty person, or one people take pity on; rascal. Today's children at Christmas-time take a cast-off toy to the Toy Service held in many churches, and it is a pretty sight to watch those tiny mites clutching their toys and parting from them.j
Similar: rogue, scamp, agitator, bad boy, bad news, bear, beggar, bhoy, blackguard, booger, boot boy, bovver boy

verb

pronunciation spelling Eye dialect spelling of might

Mite^²

proper noun

A minor river in Cumbria, England, which joins the Cumbrian Esk and River Irt near Ravenglass.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: soupcon, speck, pinch, jot, touch, hint, eriophyid, acarid, arachnid, moth, varroa, parasitic, pest, hair, itch, blade

Translations

Every language

noun arachnid

Español	ácaro
한국어	진드기 jindeugi
日本語	壁蝨
中文	蟎 /螨 mǎn
Português	ácaro, oução
Français	acarien
Deutsch	Milbe
Italiano	acaro
Ελληνικά	άκαρι ákari
Română	acarian
Русский	клещ klešč
Tiếng Việt	bét, ve
العربية	سُوسَة sūsa
עברית	קרדית kardít

noun anything very small

Deutsch	bisschen, Winzigkeit
Русский	малость malostʹ, мизер mizer

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MLA

"mite." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mite. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

mite. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mite

Chicago

"mite." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mite.

BibTeX

@misc{mite_2026,
  title = {mite},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mite},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}