vermin
[ vur-min ]
/ ˈvɜr mɪn /
noun, plural ver·min.
noxious, objectionable, or disgusting animals collectively, especially those of small size that appear commonly and are difficult to control, as flies, lice, bedbugs, cockroaches, mice, and rats.
an objectionable or obnoxious person, or such persons collectively.
animals that prey upon game, as coyotes or weasels.
Nearby words
Origin of vermin
1300–50; Middle English vermyne < Anglo-French, Middle French vermin, vermine < Vulgar Latin *verminum, *vermina, based on Latin vermin-; see verminate
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Examples from the Web for vermin
British Dictionary definitions for vermin
vermin
/ (ˈvɜːmɪn) /
noun
(functioning as plural) small animals collectively, esp insects and rodents, that are troublesome to man, domestic animals, etc
plural -min an unpleasant, obnoxious, or dangerous person
Word Origin for vermin
C13: from Old French vermine, from Latin vermis a worm
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for vermin
vermin
c.1300, "noxious animals," from Anglo-French and Old French vermin, from Vulgar Latin *verminum "vermin," possibly including bothersome insects, collective noun formed from Latin vermis "worm" (see worm). Extended to "low, obnoxious people" by 1560s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for vermin
vermin
[ vûr′mĭn ]
n. pl. vermin
Any of various small animals or insects, such as rats or cockroaches, that are destructive, annoying, or injurious to health.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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