Spanish word

mosca

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈmoska/

Meaning

  • feminine nounfly

Example

Hay una mosca en la cocina.

There is a fly in the kitchen.

Illustration for mosca (fly)

More examples

Una mosca zumbaba junto a la ventana.

A fly was buzzing by the window.

Core concept

Small fly hovering over a plate of food scraps.

Common phrases

  • matar a la mosca

    kill the fly

  • zumbido de mosca

    buzz of a fly

  • tener la mosca detrás de la oreja

    be suspicious

Similar words

mosquito: Tiny biting insect with a long proboscis that pierces skin to feed on blood.
insecto: Six-legged arthropod with antennae and three body segments: head, thorax, abdomen.
abeja: Furry flying insect that gathers nectar and pollen from flowers and can sting.
avispa: Slender, smooth-bodied flying insect that can sting and often behaves aggressively.

Definition in Spanish

Denominación común para un insecto volador, generalmente pequeño, que frecuenta entornos domésticos y se alimenta de desperdicios o restos de comida.

Word origin

Spanish mosca comes from Latin musca, the same ancestral word found across the Romance languages.

Usage tips

  • The expression 'estar mosca' uses mosca figuratively to mean being suspicious or on guard rather than literally an insect.

Other meanings

  • flyweightnoun
  • fishing flynoun

Related words

  • mosquitomosquitonoun
  • mosquearannoyverb
  • mosqueoirritationnoun

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