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 dragonlike creature.
   1. 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 (vermie, “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
   • late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans

     ...for þon hit is nǣdrena ġecynd þæt heora mǣġen ⁊ hiera fēþe bið on heora ribbum swā ōþerra crēopendra wyrma bið on heora fōtum.

     ...for it is the class of snakes whose movement is on their ribs, just as the motion of other creeping reptiles is with their feet.

   1. 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