## Meanings
1. To twist your body uncomfortably, especially out of shame or embarrassment.
2. To twist and move your body in a snakelike way.
3. A twisting, wriggling movement of the body.

## Examples
- I told the embarrassing story in detail just to watch him squirm.
- The prisoner managed to squirm out of the ropes.
- With one quick squirm, the puppy slipped free of her arms.

## Derived Forms
- asquirm
- squiggle
- squirmage
- squirmer
- squirmingly
- squirmish
- squirmworthy
- squirmy

## Etymology
First recorded 1690's, originally used of eels; cognate with Scots squimmer (“to wriggle, squirm”). Of uncertain origin. Compare dialectal quirm, whirm (“to disappear quickly, vanish suddenly and mysteriously”), Norwegian kverva (“to turn around, take away, remove, shrink”), from Old Norse hverfa (“to turn, vanish”). Alternatively, perhaps imitative or related to worm (in the sense of writhing movement) or swarm.

## AI Etymology
Squirm first recorded 1690's, originally used of eels; cognate with Scots squimmer (“to wriggle, squirm”). Of uncertain origin. Compare dialectal quirm, whirm (“to disappear quickly, vanish suddenly and mysteriously”), Norwegian kverva (“to turn around, take away, remove, shrink”), from Old Norse hverfa (“to turn, vanish”). Alternatively, perhaps imitative or related to worm (in the sense of writhing movement) or swarm. Current senses include to twist your body uncomfortably, especially out of shame or embarrassment, to twist and move your body in a snakelike way, and a twisting, wriggling movement of the body. The wider family includes derived forms such as asquirm, squiggle, squirmage, squirmer, and squirmingly.

## Topics
- Verbs of Movement

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