English
gnatling
From gnat + -ling.
Formed from gnat + -ling
Proto-Indo-European *gʰen- ‘to gnaw’
…
Proto-Germanic *gnattaz ‘a biting insect’
Proto-West Germanic *gnatt ‘gnat, mosquito’
Old English gnætt
Middle English gnat ‘a gnat or similar insect’
English gnat
Today it means
noun A tiny gnat.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / gnatling