芋虫

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Japanese

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Kanji in this term
いも
Grade: S
むし
Grade: 1
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
芋蟲 (kyūjitai)
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Etymology

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Compound of (imo, potato, tuber) +‎ (mushi, bug, worm). Refers specifically to hairless caterpillars, most specifically to varieties that eat the leaves of the 里芋 (sato imo, taro) or 薩摩芋 (satsuma imo, sweet potato).[1][2][3]

First attested in the Nippo Jisho of 1603.[1][4]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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(いも)(むし) or 芋虫(イモムシ) (imomushi

  1. a hairless caterpillar [from 1603]
    • 1999 September 23, “アシッドクロウラー [Acid Crawler]”, in Vol.5, Konami:
      (きょ)(だい)いもむし(きょう)(りょく)(さん)をはき、(なん)でも()かしてしまう。
      Kyodai na imomushi. Kyōryoku na san o haki, nan demo tokashite shimau.
      A gigantic caterpillar. Its acid is so strong it can melt anything.
  2. (figurative) an angry person (from the way that a person may puff up when angry and go red and swollen in the face, similar to the defense behaviors of some caterpillars) [from 1690]
  3. (figurative, derogatory) a dummy; a term used to ridicule a person [from 1749]
  4. a children's song and game, played by everyone squatting and holding onto the waist or shoulders of the person in front, and the whole group trying to move like a caterpillar [from 1830s]
    Synonyms: 芋虫ころころ (imomushi korokoro), 芋虫ごろごろ (imomushi gorogoro)
  5. a kind of traditional toy made to look and move like a caterpillar
    Synonyms: 俵転ばし (tawara korobashi), 俵返り (kawaga-gaeri)

Usage notes

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See also

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. ^ Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  3. ^ 芋虫”, in 世界大百科事典 第2版 (Sekai Dai-hyakka Jiten Dainihan, Heibonsha World Encyclopedia Second Edition)[1] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Heibonsha, 1998
  4. ^ Ishizuka, Harumichi (1976 [1603]) 日葡辞書: パリ本 [Nippo Jisho: Paris edition / Vocabulary of the Language of Japan]‎[2] (overall work in Japanese and Portuguese), Tōkyō: Bensei Publishing, entry available at Google Books here, left-hand column, headword Imomuxi
  5. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN