worm

Overview

Meaning Now

• A small, limbless, invertebrate animal with a long, slender body.
• A person or thing regarded as contemptible or weak.
• A program or script that replicates itself and spreads across computer networks.

Journey

In Old and Middle English, 'wyrm' could refer not only to small annelids but also to serpents, dragons, and even monsters like Grendel, reflecting a broader Germanic classification of 'crawling things'.

Evolution

1. Proto-Germanic

   *wurmiz

   “serpent, worm”

2. Old English

   wyrm

   “serpent, dragon, reptile, or earthworm”

3. Middle English

   worm

   “creeping animal, dragon”

4. Modern English

   worm

   “small invertebrate, computer program”

Connections

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