wyrm

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Old English wyrm. Doublet of worm, which was inherited.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /wɜːm/
• (US) enPR: wûrm, IPA^(key): /wɚm/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)m

Noun

wyrm (plural wyrms)

1. (mythology, fantasy) A huge limbless and wingless dragon or dragon-like creature.
2. A sea serpent.

See also

• Jörmungandr
• sea serpent
• worm

Middle English

Noun

wyrm

1. Alternative form of worm

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *wurmiz (“worm, serpent, snake”), from Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis (“worm”). Cognate with Old Frisian wirm, Old Saxon wurm, Old High German wurm, Old Norse ormr, and Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌼𐍃 (waurms). The Indo-European root is also the source of Latin vermis (“worm”), Lithuanian varmas (“midge”), Old East Slavic вермие (vermije, “locusts, worms”), and Ancient Greek ῥόμος (rhómos, “earthworm”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wyrm/, [wyrˠm]

Noun

wyrm m

1. any crawling animal, especially:
   1. worm
   2. maggot, grub
   3. reptile, especially a snake
   4. dragon

Declension

Declension of wyrm (strong i-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	wyrm	wyrmas
accusative	wyrm	wyrmas
genitive	wyrmes	wyrma
dative	wyrme	wyrmum

Derived terms

Derived terms

• anawyrm
• cawelwyrm
• dēawwyrm
• fāgwyrm
• fīcwyrm
• flǣsċwyrm
• handwyrm
• inwyrm
• lēafwyrm
• moldwyrm
• mustwyrm
• reġnwyrm
• rengwyrm
• seolcwyrm
• sīdwyrm
• smēawyrm
• tōþwyrm
• trēowwyrm
• wyrmfāh
• wyrmgaldere
• wyrmgalere
• wyrmġeard
• wyrmġeblǣd
• wyrmhīew
• wyrmhord
• wyrmhǣlsere
• wyrmlīċ

Descendants

• Middle English: worm, werm, wirm, wurm, wyrm, wyrme, wrim, worme
  • English: worm
  • Scots: worm, wirm
• → English: wyrm

References

• On-line Anglo-Saxon dictionary
• The Western Dragon