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gnat
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. |
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"gnat." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "gnat." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-gnat.html "gnat." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-gnat.html |
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gnat
gnat / nat/ • n. a small two-winged fly (Simuliidae, Ceratopogonidae, and other families). Gnats include both biting and nonbiting forms, and they typically form large swarms. ∎ a person or thing seen as tiny or insignificant, esp. in comparison with something larger or more important. |
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"gnat." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "gnat." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-gnat.html "gnat." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-gnat.html |
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gnat
gnat Common name for several small flies, mainly of the family Culicidae, the female of which bites human beings. See also mosquito.
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"gnat." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "gnat." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-gnat.html "gnat." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-gnat.html |
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gnat
gnat OE. gnætt, corr. to LG. gnatte, G. dial. gnatze, rel. to MLG. gnitte, G. gnitze.
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T. F. HOAD. "gnat." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "gnat." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-gnat.html T. F. HOAD. "gnat." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-gnat.html |
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gnat
gnat
•at, bat, brat, cat, chat, cravat, drat, expat, fat, flat, frat, gat, gnat, hat, hereat, high-hat, howzat, lat, mat, matt, matte, Montserrat, Nat, outsat, pat, pit-a-pat, plait, plat, prat, Rabat, rat, rat-tat, Sadat, sat, scat, Sebat, shabbat, shat, skat, slat, spat, splat, sprat, stat, Surat, tat, that, thereat, tit-for-tat, vat, whereat
•fiat • floreat • exeat • caveat
•Croat, Serbo-Croat
•Nanga Parbat • brickbat • dingbat
•combat, wombat
•fruitbat • numbat • acrobat • backchat
•whinchat • chitchat • samizdat
•concordat • Arafat • Jehoshaphat
•butterfat • Kattegat • hard hat
•sun hat • fat cat • hellcat • requiescat
•scaredy-cat • Magnificat • copycat
•pussycat • wildcat • bobcat • tomcat
•Sno-Cat • polecat • muscat • meerkat
•mudflat • cervelat
•doormat, format
•diplomat • laundromat • Zermatt
•Donat • cowpat
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Cite this article
"gnat." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "gnat." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-gnat.html "gnat." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-gnat.html |
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