maggot
Americannoun
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a soft-bodied, legless larva of certain flies.
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Archaic. an odd fancy; whim.
noun
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the soft limbless larva of dipterous insects, esp the housefly and blowfly, occurring in decaying organic matter
-
rare a fancy or whim
Etymology
Origin of maggot
1425–75; late Middle English magot, magat, unexplained variant of maddock, Middle English mathek < Old Norse mathkr; akin to Danish maddik maggot, Old English matha, mathu grub, maggot, Old High German mado maggot
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Once the eggs hatch, the maggots burrow into flesh in a corkscrew motion, which is how the insect got its name.
From Science Daily
A parasitic fly whose maggots can infest living livestock, birds, pets and humans, could threaten California soon.
From Los Angeles Times
These include unexplained skin lesions, feeling larvae move within a wound or the nose, mouth or eyes and seeing maggots in an open sore.
From BBC
NWS myiasis is a parasitic infestation of fly larvae, or maggots, caused by parasitic flies.
From BBC
The inmates at the camp in Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve say they face days without showers, extreme temperatures, lack of water and maggots in their food.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
