Dictionary.com

silkworm

[ silk-wurm ]
/ ˈsɪlkˌwɜrm /

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.

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Origin of silkworm

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

Words nearby silkworm

silk-screen printing, silk-stocking, silk-tassel, silk tree, silkweed, silkworm, silkworm moth, silky, silky anteater, silky cornel, silky flycatcher
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for silkworm

British Dictionary definitions for silkworm

silkworm
/ (ˈsɪlkˌwɜːm) /

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