vermin
Appearance
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Middle English vermyn, vermyne, from Old French vermine, from Vulgar Latin *verminum (“vermin”), collective noun formed from Latin vermis (“worm”). See also worm.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈvɝmɪn/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈvɜːmɪn/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)mɪn
Noun
[edit]vermin (countable and uncountable, plural vermin or vermins)
- Any of various common types of small insects or other animals which cause harm and annoyance. [from c. 1300]
- The area was plagued by all sorts of vermin: fleas, lice, mice, and rats to name a few.
- 1903, Harry de Windt, “The Great Lena Post Road”, in From Paris to New York by Land, New York, N.Y.: Frederick Warne & Co. […], published 1904, →OCLC, part I (Europe and Asia), page 27:
- Vermin was everywhere; night and day it crawled gaily over the walls and ceiling, about our bodies, and into our very food, and, although the subject did not interest us, a naturalist would have delighted in the ever-changing varieties of insect life.
- An animal that preys on game, such as a fox or a weasel.
- An obnoxious or mean and offensive person. [from 1560s]
- Bring these vermin to the Palace of Justice.
Usage notes
[edit]- The singular form "a vermin" is now rarely encountered, and the word is generally used as a plural.
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
|
An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
See also
[edit]Anagrams
[edit]Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Vulgar Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɜː(ɹ)mɪn
- Rhymes:English/ɜː(ɹ)mɪn/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- English indeclinable nouns
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- en:People