n.
Pronunciation: ' kyü- ˌ leks
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, gnat; akin to Old Irish cuil fly
Date: 15th century
: any of a large cosmopolitan genus ( Culex ) of mosquitoes that includes the common house mosquito ( C. pipiens ) of Europe and No. America and vectors of the viruses causing Saint Louis encephalitis and West Nile fever