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Glite Dictionary
itch mite

itch mite

8.2
A very small white animal that lives on the skin of people or animals and makes them scratch a lot
  • noun
  • /ɪtʃ maɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ácaro del picor
  • If you notice a rash, it might be due to an infestation of itch mites.

Examples

  • A straw itch mite (Pyemotes tritici) on the back of a caterpillar.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The itch mite can cause severe irritation on a person's skin.

  • Farmers often struggle with itch mites that infest their livestock's skin.

Synonyms

mite
vsitch mite
27 6.3

A very small animal like a tiny spider that lives on animals, plants, or in food

is narrower and lives on skin causing irritation and sometimes scabies
sarcoptid
vsitch mite
  • Specialized
9.9

A tiny animal like a spider that lives on the skin and causes itching

is a small whitish skin parasite causing irritation and sometimes scabies

Surface Forms

itch mite singular
itch mites plural

Morphology

itch + mite

The noun–noun compound is fully compositional: 'itch' (the symptom or cause of itching) + 'mite' (a small arachnid) yields a mite that causes itching. This is a literal, non-idiomatic formation following common compounding patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Itch mite names a very small animal that lives on the skin. The mite makes the skin itch, so the name literally shows the problem, 'causing itching'.