silkworm

[silk-wurm]

noun

the larva of the Chinese silkworm moth, Bombyx mori, which spins a cocoon of commercially valuable silk.

the larva of any of several moths of the family Saturniidae, which spins a silken cocoon.

Origin of silkworm

before 1000; Middle English sylkewyrme, Old English seolcwyrm. See silk, worm

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for silkworm

Contemporary Examples of silkworm

In The Silkworm, Rowling deploys this knack with an almost perfect touch.
Speed Read: J.K. Rowling Pens Another Winner With ‘The Silkworm’
Malcolm Jones
June 13, 2014
The Silkworm brings back Cormoran Strike (yes, Potterish names still abound).
Speed Read: J.K. Rowling Pens Another Winner With ‘The Silkworm’
Malcolm Jones
June 13, 2014

Historical Examples of silkworm

She had a face like a silkworm, and the dining-room reeks of orris-root.
Howards End
E. M. Forster
That's what the silkworm does—only it does it several times over.
The Story of Silk
Sara Ware Bassett
"But I thought the silkworm scarcely moved," objected Marie.
The Story of Silk
Sara Ware Bassett
Then send to a reliable dealer for a quarter of an ounce of silkworm eggs.
Makers of Many Things
Eva March Tappan
Gut is the product of the silkworm, and the best quality is imported from Spain.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2
Various

British Dictionary definitions for silkworm

silkworm

noun

the larva of the Chinese moth Bombyx mori, that feeds on the leaves of the mulberry tree: widely cultivated as a source of silk

any of various similar or related larvae

silkworm moth the moth of any of these larvae

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for silkworm

Old English seolcwyrm; see silk + worm (n.).