mite¹ / mīt/ • n. a minute arachnid (order or subclass Acari) that has four pairs of legs when adult, related to the ticks. Many kinds live in the soil and a number are parasitic on plants or animals.mite² • n. 1. a small child or animal, esp. when regarded as an object of sympathy: the poor little mite looks half-starved.2. a very small amount: his teacher thought he needed a mite of discipline. ∎ hist. a small coin, in particular a small Flemish copper coin of very low face value. See also widow's mite.• adv. (a mite) inf. a little; slightly: all evening he's seemed a mite awkward.

mite Minute arachnid found worldwide, many are parasites. The adult has four pairs of legs with claws at the tip, and a fused head and abdomen. Length: 0.5–3mm (0.02–0.1in). Class Arachnida; order Acarina. See also chigger; tick

mite (myt) n. a free-living or parasitic arthropod belonging to a group (Acarina) that also includes the ticks. Medically important mites include the many species causing dermatitis. house-dust m. a mite of the genus Dermatophagoides, the waste products of which produce an allergic response in susceptible people that is an important trigger for some forms of rhinitis and asthma.

mite1 minute insect; now spec. an acarid, and chiefly the cheese-mite. OE. mīte = MLG., MDu. mīte (Du. mijt), OHG. mīza gnat:- Gmc. *mītōn, perh. to be referred to *mait- (OHG. meizan, ON. meita, Goth. maitan) cut.

mite2 Flemish coin of very small value; (hence) any small monetary unit; jot, whit XIV; very small object XVI. — MLG., MDu. mīte (Du. mijt):- Gmc. *mītōn, prob. identical with prec.