Dictionary.com

vermin

[ vur-min ]
/ ˈvɜr mɪn /
Save This Word!

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.
QUIZ
ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?
We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
Question 1 of 8
Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?
Meet Grammar CoachWrite or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar helpImprove Your Writing
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Origin of vermin

1300–50; Middle English vermyne<Anglo-French, Middle French vermin, vermine<Vulgar Latin *verminum,*vermina, based on Latin vermin-;see verminate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use vermin in a sentence

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for vermin

vermin
[ vûrmĭn ]

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 Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
FEEDBACK