1580s, from Spanish mosquito "little gnat," diminutive of mosca "fly,"

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=mosquito

I genuinely dislike writing such harsh comments, and in this case have let the frustration of seeing this comment as the top-rated one on an otherwise discussion-worthy topic boil over.

http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=mosquito http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=mosca

Sorry about frustrating you, and i mean it.

Because one's the reason it got its name, and the other's day-to-day speech?

Sorry about frustrating you, and i mean it.

No worries, and I'm sorry if I caused anything on my part.

I read your comment as picking holes in an article purely for the sake of picking holes, which is something I find frustrating waaaaay out of proportion.

I did not want to pick holes, and it also bothers me sometimes, but the first sentence of the writing had a glaring error that caught my attention. I do think you tried to pick holes on my hole picking.

I linked you to the normative, actual definition of mosquito, because that's what you need to use to prove me wrong. Not the 1600 definition.

This is where you're going wrong.

Consider for example the word "Musket", you wouldn't be here debating that a musket is a fly, right?. Well, both share the same latin origin in musca, like mosquito. That's my point.

If you understand mosquito as "little fly", then how do you call actual mosquitos? Im from spain. I can assure you no one here will take the word mosquito for other than the blood sucker insect.

Don't say you are wrong, probably this is about diferent spanish usage since it varies from country to country and even more from continent to continent.

You were contending that the etymology of "mosquito" can't be understood as Spanish for "little fly", which is untrue. See, "fly" is not a biological term, but a colloquial one, and describes a wide range of species (suborders, actually). So "mosquito", which originally was meant in Spanish as "pequeño mosco", could perfectly be translated as "little fly", for "mosco" is a type of "fly" and can be translated as such (as is the case of "moscón", "moscarda", "moscardón"...)

> if you understand mosquito as "little fly", then how do you call actual mosquitos?

"Mosquitos". Because context. Just as I can know "bolsillo" means "pequeño bolso" (small bag) and cigarrillo means "pequeño cigarro" (small cigar), and simultaneously understand them as the envelope-like receptacle in clothing (pocket) and paper wrapped processed tobacco (cigarette), respectively.

http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=mosquito

There is no definition there stating that a mosquito is a small fly, (hint: derived diminutives don't make it into the rae dictionary). What you can see there is that the etymology is indeed from the diminutive of mosco. I never denied that, it's on my original post, they share latin root. Again, that doesn't make them mean the same.

You examples are so weird I highly doubt you are a native spanish speaker. Bolsillo is never used for a small bag, at least here, and cigarrillo is never used as cigar, but as cigarrete.

And whether or not you use it regularly with the original meaning. The frequency of usage does not invalidate this truth: the rules of diminutive formation entail that "bolsillo" is "bolso pequeño". There's no arguing this statement. Just as "mosquito" is "mosco pequeño", i.e. "small fly".

The same can be said for plenty of other words. Words that have developed a specific separate meaning but are still diminutives for the non-affixed original word. Meet polysemy.

Sorry, but "cochinilla" is still "cochina pequeña", "cabezón" is still "cabeza grande", "cabecilla" is still "cabeza pequeña", and "frailecillo" is still "pequeño fraile".

It would be mistaken and a bit obtuse to nitpick on an article which states that "cabecilla" is Spanish for "small head" by contending that no, it means "leader".

Daily language use is a very different thing to etymology.

Let me give you an example:

I'm learning Polish as a second language, and I love, love, love the Polish word for whale: wieloryb.

Why?

It's a contraction of the words for great/large and fish: wielki + ryba = wieloryb. Isn't that cute?

No Pole in their right mind thinks of "great fish" when you say "whale;" that's clearly nonsense.

And yet despite this, the history of the word remains.

But "mosco", really?

Mosquito is also mosquito if you're americanized.

They may understand it as "mosquito" rather than "little fly" but that is a valid literal translation, just like "gatito" is "kitten" but the literal translation would be diminutive-of-cat -> "little cat".

Outside of your country, mosco is definitely used.

Again, i stated that earlier. They share origin, that doesn't make then mean the same.

I see mosco is definitely used, and rae dictionary has its entrance:

http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=mosco

Mosco can mean, black horse or mosquito but its NOT the male gender of mosca, that's what i said.

(btw "my" dictionary is the normative spanish by the rae, that also includes south american terms)