SKIP TO CONTENT

maringouin

/ˌmærənˈgwɛn/
/ˌmarɛnˈgwɛn/
IPA guide

Other forms: maringouins

If you're in a Louisiana swamp, watch out for maringouins — insects that either suck your blood or take a tiny chunk of flesh. It's unclear whether the word refers technically to a mosquito or a blackfly, but both are nasty pests!

Maringouin is Louisiana French, but it took various other forms when first borrowed from the Tupi language, whose word was marigui or mbarigui. The Tupi are an Indigenous people living in the rainforest in the river valleys of Brazil — a pretty damp area, so they’re well acquainted with mosquitoes. How the word traveled up to Louisiana is another story! Since then it has traveled even further north, to French Canada, where it means "mosquito." Pronounce it with nasal vowels and without actually saying the n.

Definitions of maringouin
  1. noun
    (Louisiana) a swamp-dwelling, blood-sucking insect; mosquito or blackfly
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘maringouin'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family