wyrm

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old English wyrm

Noun

wyrm (plural wyrms)

1. (poetic) dragon, particularly one without legs or wings
2. (poetic) snake, particularly a large one

See also

• worm

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Old English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA: /wyrm/

Noun

wyrm m (plural wyrmas)

1. a serpent or snake

   quotations:

   • "Me nædre beswac, fah wyrm þurh fægir word" (see references)

2. a creeping insect, maggot, grub, or worm

   quotations:

   • "Wyrm ðe boraþ treow termes vel teredo" (see references)

3. a worm or a snake, in the figurative sense of something lowly or despicable

   quotations:

   • "Ic eam wyrm (vermis) and nales mon" (see references)

Derived terms

• wyrmfah
• wyrmgaldere
• wyrmgalere
• wyrmgeard
• wyrmgeblæd
• wyrmhælsere
• wyrmhiw
• wyrmhord
• wyrmlic

See also

• draca (Old English for dragon)

References

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