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Origin and history of worm

worm(n.)

Old English wurm, variant of wyrm "serpent, snake; dragon; reptile," also in later Old English "earthworm," from Proto-Germanic *wurmiz, from PIE *wrmi- "worm" (reconstructed in Watkins to be from root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend"). For substitution of -o- for -u-, see come.

The word was used through Middle English of any crawling or slithering creature regarded as noxious or dangerous, including serpents, scorpions, maggots, and the supposed causes of certain diseases. Worms "any disease arising from the presence of parasitic worms" is from late Old English.

Modern scientific use for a specific Linnaean category of animals is from 18c. As an insult, "abject, vile, or miserable person," from Old English. As the food of birds, mid-13c.; as bait for fish, c. 1300.

Figuratively of anything slow or stealthy, or eating its way; in Middle English often a figure of nakedness. Can of worms figurative for "difficult problem" is from 1951, from the literal can of worms a fisherman might bring with him, on the image of something unpleasantly tangled.

Cognates include Greek rhomos, Latin vermis "worm," Old Russian vermie "insects," Lithuanian varmas "insect, gnat." Germanic cognates include Old Saxon, Old High German, German wurm, Old Frisian and Dutch worm, Old Norse ormr, Gothic waurms "serpent, worm."

worm(v.)

"move like a worm," c. 1600, from worm (n.). In figurative senses, suggesting patient, sinuous progress, it is attested from 1620s.

The meaning "to free from (parasitic) worms" is attested from 1620s. Related: Wormed; worming.

also from c. 1600

Entries linking to worm

come(v.)

elementary intransitive verb of motion, Old English cuman "to move with the purpose of reaching, or so as to reach, some point; to arrive by movement or progression;" also "move into view, appear, become perceptible; come to oneself, recover; arrive; assemble" (class IV strong verb; past tense cuom, com, past participle cumen), from Proto-Germanic *kwem- (source also of Old Saxon cuman, Old Frisian kuma, Middle Dutch comen, Dutch komen, Old High German queman, German kommen, Old Norse koma, Gothic qiman), from PIE root *gwa- "to go, come."

The substitution of Middle English -o- for Old English -u- was a scribal habit before minims to avoid misreading the letters in the old style handwriting, which jammed them together (see U). Modern past tense form came is Middle English, probably from Old Norse kvam, replacing Old English cuom.

Meaning "to happen, occur" is from early 12c. (come to pass "happen, occur" is from 1520s). As an invitation to action, c. 1300; as a call or appeal to a person (often in expanded forms: "come, come," "come, now"), mid-14c. Come again? as an off-hand way of asking "what did you say?" is attested by 1884. For sexual senses, see cum.

Remarkably productive with prepositions (NTC's "Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs" lists 198 combinations); consider the varied senses in come to "regain consciousness," come over "possess" (as an emotion), come at "attack," come on (interj.) "be serious," and come off "occur, have some level of success" (1864). Among other common expressions are:

To come down with "become ill with" (a disease), 1895; come in, of a radio operator, "begin speaking," 1958; come on "advance in growth or development," c. 1600; come out, of a young woman, "make a formal entry into society," 1782; come round "return to a normal state or better condition," 1841; come through "act as desired or expected," 1914; come up "arise as a subject of attention," 1844; come up with "produce, present," 1934.

To have it coming "deserve what one suffers" is from 1904. To come right down to it "get to fundamental facts" is from 1875.

bookworm(n.)

1590s, "person devoted to study;" by 1713 in reference to the larvae of certain insects that eat holes in the bindings and paper of old books; see book (n.) + worm (n.). There is no single species known by this name, which is applied to the larvae of the anobium beetle (woodworm), silverfish, and booklice.