silkworm

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the silk-producing caterpillar of a moth, especially the domesticated Bombyx mori raised for commercial silk

   Each silkworm spun a cocoon from one long filament of silk.

2. 2
   noun

   the larva of any of several other moths that spin silk cocoons

   The wild silkworm fed on oak leaves before beginning its cocoon.

Common collocations

• silkworm moth Noun + noun
• giant silkworm Adjective + noun

From Middle English silkwirm and Old English seolcwyrm, a compound of silk + worm. Worm formerly had the broad sense 'creeping animal or insect,' so the name refers to the silk-producing caterpillar rather than to a true worm.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images