гнус

rare #25656

nounmasculineanimateuncountable

1.
biting midges, gnats, swarms of bloodsucking insects
Ле́том в тайге́ гнус не даёт покоя.
In summer the midges in the taiga give you no peace.
Collective singular, used with a singular verb; typical of Siberian and northern contexts.
2.
creep, vile person, swine
Ну и гнус же ты!
What a creep you are!
Colloquial and strongly derogatory.
3.
(rare) electric ray, torpedo fishzoology
Гнус оглуша́ет добы́чу электри́ческим разря́дом.
The electric ray stuns its prey with an electric discharge.
Dated zoological name; also spelled гнюс.

Examples

От гнуса помогает специальный спрей
A special spray helps keep the biting insects away.
Гнус мешал нам спокойно работать в поле
The biting insects kept us from working peacefully in the field.
В лесу летом много гнуса и комаров
There are lots of biting insects and mosquitoes in the forest in summer.

This noun exists in singular form only.