mouche
9.9
A small flying insect such as a housefly
- noun
- Archaic
:
mosca
- She swatted the mouche away before it could land on her dessert.
Examples
-
During the summer, a tiny mouche flew around the fruit left on the kitchen counter.
-
Occasionally, a bateau mouche passed, all illuminated, and I saw him better, his usual smile.
Fiction book (1991) -
The mouche landed on the table, buzzing softly as it searched for food.
Synonyms
insect
vsmouche
341
1.0
A small animal with a body in three parts, six legs and often wings
is a specific type within that broad biological category
fly
vsmouche
327
1.0
A small insect with two wings that moves quickly in the air
is an archaic or regional term for that specific two winged insect
midge
vsmouche
4
6.1
A very small flying insect often found near water that sometimes bites
refers to the same insect broadly not limited by size or habitat
Surface Forms
Etymology
Mouche as a word for the insect comes from the French mouche and from Latin musca, both meaning 'fly', so in older speech and poems mouche was simply the name for the small winged insect.