mosquito

Where does the word "mosquito" come from? It comes from Spanish mosquito, and was adopted directly into English (c. 1580s).

Mosquito’s story begins in Spanish: mosquito meant “little fly.” A diminutive of "mosca" (fly), from Latin "musca". It reached English by c. 1580s as mosquito. Spanish 'little fly', from 'mosca', fly. Today, mosquito means a small flying insect whose bite can spread disease.

1. Stage 1 · Spanish · c. 1500s mosquito "little fly", a diminutive of "mosca" (fly), from Latin "musca".
2. Stage 2 · English · c. 1580s mosquito "a small biting, flying insect", Spanish 'little fly', from 'mosca', fly.