mite

Everyday

1. A tiny animal with eight legs, related to spiders, often too small to see: dust mites. tree →
2. A small child or small creature that you feel sorry for: the poor little mite. tree →
3. (informal, «a mite») A little bit, slightly: a mite cold. tree →
4. (old) A very small coin or amount. tree →

In the lessons

In science mites are arachnids (eight legs), not insects; dust mites live in beds and carpets and can cause allergies. In UK and Irish everyday talk «the poor little mite» shows kindness to a small child. In counting problems a mite has 8 legs.

Examples

• Dust mites live in our pillows. tree →
• A mite has eight legs, like a spider. tree →
• Red mites can bite chickens. tree →
• The poor little mite was soaked in the rain. tree →
• It's a mite chilly this morning. tree →
• Under the microscope we saw a mite crawling on a leaf. tree →
• 5 mites have 5 × 8 = 40 legs. tree →
• There he would find better fare than briny water and sand mites. tree →

Note

Homophone: might (could; strength). Mites are not insects (insects have 6 legs). «A mite» meaning «a little» is old-fashioned.