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Glite Dictionary
gallinipper

gallinipper

9.9
A very large mosquito common in the Southern United States
  • noun
  • /ˈɡælɪˌnɪpər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : mosquito gigante
  • He swatted at a buzzing gallinipper that refused to leave the porch.

Examples

  • A giant gallinipper landed on my arm while I was sitting outside last night.

  • I've never seen a gallinipper this big before.

  • Locals warned us about the gallinippers that come out after heavy rain.

  • That gallinipper bit me last night!

  • Growing up in the South, I learned to avoid the bite of the gallinipper during the summer months.

  • The gallinipper is known for being one of the largest mosquitoes in the area.

  • After a day in the swamp, we were covered in bites from the aggressive gallinipper.

Synonyms

mosquito
vsgallinipper
70 1.0

A small flying insect whose female bites people or animals to drink blood

is used in Southern dialect to mean a much larger insect than usual
skeeter
vsgallinipper
  • Informal
2 9.8

A small insect that bites people and makes a loud buzzing sound

is a specific Southern US dialect term rather than a general regional name
mossie
vsgallinipper
  • Australian
9.5

A small flying insect that bites people and makes them itch

is the Southern US dialect term rather than the Australian informal name

Surface Forms

gallinipper singular
gallinippers plural

Etymology

The word gallinipper is an old Southern US name for a very large mosquito. A helpful way to remember it is to notice the last part nipper, which looks like 'one who nips' or 'to bite', so gallinipper feels like a big mosquito that 'nips' hard and that is why it means a very large, biting mosquito.