oorwurm

Dutch

Alternative forms

• oorworm

Etymology

From Middle Dutch oorworm. Equivalent to oor (“ear”) +‎ worm (“worm, critter”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈoːr.ʋʏrm/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: oor‧wurm

Noun

oorwurm m (plural oorwurmen, diminutive oorwurmpje n)

1. earwig (insect of the order Dermaptera)
2. (music) earworm (song that gets stuck in your head)

Usage notes

The form oorworm was the most common until around the middle of the twentieth century, but in contemporary Dutch the form oorwurm is dominant.