Definition of GNAT

gnat

Plural: gnats

Noun

  • A small, two-winged biting insect.
  • any of various small biting flies: midges; biting midges; black flies; sand flies
  • (British usage) mosquito
  • Any small insect of the order Diptera, specifically within the suborder Nematocera.
  • An annoying person.

Examples

  • Even a tiny GNAT of a word, like "AT," can sometimes open up a big play.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English gnat, from Old English gnætt (“gnat; midge; mosquito”), from Proto-West Germanic *gnatt, *gnattu, from Proto-Germanic *gnattaz, *gnattuz (“gnat”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰneHdʰn-, *gʰneHd- (“to gnaw; scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰen- (“to gnaw; bite; scratch; grind”). Cognate with Low German Gnatte (“gnat”), dialectal Swedish gnatt (“mosquito”), German Gnatz (“scabs; rash; scabies; stinginess”). Related also gnit and gnaw.

Scrabble Score: 5

gnat: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
gnat: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
gnat: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 7

gnat: valid Words With Friends Word