Earwig

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• earwig — ► NOUN ▪ a small elongated insect with a pair of terminal appendages that resemble pincers. ► VERB (earwigged, earwigging) informal ▪ eavesdrop. ORIGIN Old English, from are «ear» + wicga «earwig»; the insect was once thought to crawl into the… …   English terms dictionary

• Earwig — Ear wig ([=e]r w[i^]g ), n. [AS. e[ a]rwicga; e[ a]re ear + wicga beetle, worm: cf. Prov. E. erri wiggle.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) Any insect of the genus {Forficula} and related genera, belonging to the order {Dermaptera} (formerly {Euplexoptera}). They… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• Earwig — Ear wig ([=e]r w[i^]g ), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Earwigged} ([=e]r w[i^]gd ); p. pr. & vb. n. {Earwigging} ([=e]r w[i^]g*g[i^]ng).] To influence, or attempt to influence, by whispered insinuations or private talk. No longer was he earwigged by the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• earwig — (n.) (Forficula auricularia), O.E. earwicga, from eare (see EAR (Cf. ear) (1)) + wicga beetle, worm, probably related to WIGGLE (Cf. wiggle). So called from the ancient and widespread (but false) belief that the garden pest went into people s… …   Etymology dictionary

• earwig — [ir′wig΄] n. [ME erwig < OE earwicga < eare, EAR1 + wicga, beetle, worm < IE base * weik , to wind, bend > L vicia, VETCH: so called from the baseless notion that it particularly seeks out the human ear to crawl into] any of an order… …   English World dictionary

• Earwig — For other uses, see Earwig (disambiguation). Earwigs Temporal range: 208–0 Ma …   Wikipedia

• earwig — /ear wig /, n., v., earwigged, earwigging. n. 1. any of numerous elongate, nocturnal insects of the order Dermaptera, having a pair of large, movable pincers at the rear of the abdomen. v.t. 2. to fill the mind of with prejudice by insinuations.… …   Universalium

• earwig — ear·wig (îr’wĭg′) n. ▸ Any of various elongate insects of the order Dermaptera, having a pair of usually pincerlike appendages protruding from the rear of the abdomen. Also called dermapteran. tr.v. ear·wigged, ear·wig·ging, ear·wigs ▸ To attempt …   Word Histories

• earwig — UK [ˈɪə(r)ˌwɪɡ] / US [ˈɪrˌwɪɡ] noun [countable] Word forms earwig : singular earwig plural earwigs a brown insect with a pair of curved parts at the back end of its body …   English dictionary

• earwig — [OE] A colloquial Old English term for ‘insect’ was wicga (which would have been pronounced something like ‘widger’). It probably came from the same prehistoric Germanic base (*wig ) as produced English wiggle [13], and so is roughly equivalent… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins