Etymograph

English

mite

Mite comes from Old English mīte ‘mite, tiny insect’, from Proto-Germanic *maitaną ‘to cut’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘small’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-1‘small’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*maitaną1‘to cut’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mītǭ1‘biting insect’literally ‘cutter’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mītā1reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150mīte1‘mite, tiny insect’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mite1
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1803mite1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English mite
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1803, William Blake: “One mite wrung from the lab'rer's hands Shall buy…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-Wiktionary, English mite‘small’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*maitanąWiktionary, English mite‘to cut’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*mītǭWiktionary, English mite‘biting insect’literally ‘cutter’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*mītāWiktionary, English mitereconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150mīteWiktionary, English mite‘mite, tiny insect’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500miteWiktionary, English mite
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1803miteWiktionary, English mite. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1803, William Blake: “One mite wrung from the lab'rer's hands Shall buy…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘small’

mean, common, community, commission, communication, mess, minister, meal, ministry, minute, communist, minor, menu, mutual, immune, mere, communicate, min, compromise, missile, communism, commit, ammunition, communal, immunity, mole, minus, communion, premise, dismiss, municipality, mural, ammo, mayhem, noodle, moor, commune, remuneration, intermittent, monolith, 76 more

through Proto-Germanic *maitaną ‘to cut’

met, 2 more

Today it means

noun Any of many minute arachnids which, along with the ticks, comprise subclass Acari (syn. Acarina).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “mite”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *mey- / mite

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