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Dictionary:

gnat

  (năt) pronunciation
n.

Any of various small, biting, two-winged flies, such as a punkie or black fly.

[Middle English, from Old English gnæt.]


 
 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: gnat

Any member of several species of small dipterans, most of which bite or annoy humans. Midges are also sometimes called gnats. In North America the name is also applied to the blackfly, fruit fly, and other small flies that hover about the eyes of humans and other animals.

For more information on gnat, visit Britannica.com.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: gnat,
common name for any one of a number of small, fragile-looking two-winged flies of the suborder Nematocera, order Diptera, which includes the families Tipulidae (crane flies), Bibionidae (hairflies), Ceratopogonidae (biting midges), Chironomidae (true midges), Cecidomyidae (gall midges), Simuliidae (black flies), Culicidae (mosquitoes), and others. They often assemble together in large mating swarms. In England mosquitoes are called gnats; in the United States it is chiefly the smaller forms of Diptera, especially irritating because of their great numbers and their vicious biting habits, that are referred to as gnats. All gnats have long, hairlike antennae, which are particularly well-developed in the males. Gnat larvae are free-living, most feeding on plants. Larval plant feeders, e.g., the Hessian fly larvae, cause root, stem, and leaf galls to be formed by the host plant. Some species of fungus gnats (families Mycetophilidae and Sciaridae) are very common pests of mushrooms and roots of potted plants in homes and greenhouses. One group of dipterans (family Chloropidae) of the suborder Cyclorrhapha are commonly called eye gnats, or eye flies. Gnats are classified in the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, order Diptera.

 
Wikipedia: gnat
For other uses, see Gnat (disambiguation).

The term gnat is applied as a colloquial name to any of various small insects in the order Diptera and specifically within the suborder Nematocera. This suborder represents the more primitive members of the Dipteran order but still contains several very notable and important families such as the Chironomidae (non-biting midges) and the Culicidae (mosquitoes). Other families include the Tipulidae (crane flies), Bibionidae (hairflies), Ceratopogonidae (biting midges), Cecidomyiidae (gall midges), Simuliidae (black flies), and others.

The males often assemble together in large mating swarms and can disorient drivers.

Gnat larvae are mostly free-living. Many feed on plants, though some are carnivorous. Larval plant feeders, e.g. the Hessian fly larvae, cause root, stem, and leaf galls to be formed by the host plant. Some species of fungus gnats (families Mycetophilidae and Sciaridae) are very common pests of mushrooms and roots of potted plants in homes and greenhouses.

Some South American Pleurothallid orchids are pollinated by tiny gnats and have correspondingly small flowers.


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
Translations: Translations for: Gnat

Dansk (Danish)
n. - myg

idioms:

  • gnat bite    myggestik

Nederlands (Dutch)
mug

Français (French)
n. - moucheron

idioms:

  • gnat bite    piqûre de moucheron

Deutsch (German)
n. - Mücke

idioms:

  • gnat bite    Mückenstich

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (εντομ.) σκνίπα, (Βρετ.) κουνούπι, (μτφ.) μικροενόχληση, μικροσκοπικό πράγμα

idioms:

  • gnat bite    μικροενόχληση

Italiano (Italian)
zanzara, moscerino

Português (Portuguese)
n. - borrachudo (m) (Entom.) (Zool.), mosquito (m) (Entom.) (Zool.)

Русский (Russian)
комар, мошка, мелочь

Español (Spanish)
n. - mosquito, jején

idioms:

  • gnat bite    picadura de mosquito

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - mygga, knott

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
蚋, 蚊

idioms:

  • gnat bite    昆虫咬伤

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 蚋, 蚊

idioms:

  • gnat bite    昆蟲咬傷

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 사람을 무는 작은 날벌레

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ブヨ, 蚊

idioms:

  • gnat bite    些細な事

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) بعوضه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮יתוש, מטרד קטן, דבר קטן‬

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Gnat".  Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

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