What does midge mean?
A midge is a small fly, especially the biting kind that commonly occurs near rivers, lakes, marshes, and damp vegetation. Individual midges are tiny, but they may gather in enormous swarms and can make outdoor activity intensely uncomfortable through their bites. The term is particularly common in Britain, including Scotland and northern England, and is also used in North America. In regional figurative usage, a midge may be described as a small or insignificant person, typically someone considered minor in status, ability, or importance. This second sense is less frequent than the entomological one but is well established in Scottish and northern English speech. The word is especially useful when precision matters: a midge is not necessarily a mosquito, even though both are small, blood-feeding flies and are often informally grouped together.
nounA small two-winged fly, especially a biting midge, that is found near water and can form swarms. In Scottish and northern English usage, it can also mean a small or insignificant person.
- A small fly, especially a biting midge, commonly found around water and vegetation.
- Chiefly Scottish and northern English: a small, insignificant, or unimportant person.
"A cloud of midges gathered over the lake as the evening settled in."
"The hikers packed insect repellent because midges were unusually thick along the river."
"In the play, the young servant is dismissed as a mere midge, though he proves more capable than his master."
The standard plural is midges, commonly used both for individual flies and for a swarm.
"Several midges landed on the dark water."
Some midges are barely visible, yet a single swarm can make an entire lakeside seem uninhabitable.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of midge
The word descends from Old English mygg, referring to a small fly or insect, and continued in Middle English in forms such as migge before becoming modern midge. It belongs to a Germanic word family represented by forms such as German Mücke, Dutch mug, and Swedish mygga, although the deeper Proto-Germanic reconstruction and ultimate origin are uncertain. The older figurative sense of a tiny or insignificant person developed from the insect's small size.
How midge is actually used
The word is especially associated with British English, particularly Scotland and northern England. In modern usage it most often refers to biting midges; the figurative sense is mainly regional and informal.
Easily confused with midge
A midge is a smaller fly belonging to a different family from mosquitoes, although both can bite and are sometimes confused in informal descriptions.
A blackfly is a particular kind of biting fly, while midge is a broader term for a small fly, especially one that feeds on blood.