maggot

maggot
maggot (n.) late 15c., probably an unexplained variant of M.E. maðek, from O.E. maða "maggot, grub," from P.Gmc. *mathon (Cf. O.N. maðkr, O.S. matho, M.Du., Du. made, O.H.G. mado, Ger. Made, Goth. maþa "maggot"). Figurative use "whim, fancy, crotchet" is 1620s, from the notion of a maggot in the brain.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • maggot — [mag′ət] n. [ME magotte, prob. < earlier mathek, flesh worm < ON mathkr or OE matha, a worm, maggot: see MAWKISH] 1. a wormlike insect larva, as the legless larva of the housefly: often found in decaying matter 2. an odd notion; whim… …   English World dictionary

  • Maggot — Mag got, n. [W. macai, pl. maceiod, magiod, a worn or grub; cf. magu to bread.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) The footless larva of any fly. See {Larval}. [1913 Webster] 2. A whim; an odd fancy. Hudibras. Tennyson. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • maggot — maggot. См. личинка насекомых. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • maggot — ► NOUN ▪ a soft bodied legless larva, especially one of a fly or other insect and found in decaying matter. ORIGIN perhaps an alteration of dialect maddock, from Old Norse …   English terms dictionary

  • Maggot — This article is about the fly larvae. For other uses, see Maggot (disambiguation) Maggots feeding on carrion. In everyday speech the word maggot means the larva of a fly (order Diptera); it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachyceran… …   Wikipedia

  • maggot — /mag euht/, n. 1. a soft bodied, legless larva of certain flies. 2. Archaic. an odd fancy; whim. [1425 75; late ME magot, magat, unexplained var. of maddock, ME mathek < ON mathkr; akin to Dan maddik maggot, OE matha, mathu grub, maggot, OHG mado …   Universalium

  • maggot — 1. n. a cigarette. (Probably a play on faggot.) □ Can I bum a maggot off of you? D Get your own maggots. 2. n. a low and wretched person; a vile person. □ You maggot! Take your hands off me! □ Only a maggot would do something like that …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • maggot — noun /ˈmæɡət/ a) A soft, legless larva of a fly or other dipterous insect, that often eats decomposing organic matter. Drop and give me fifty, maggot. b) A term of insult for a worthless person, as if a bug. Mr. Beveridges Maggot, an old country… …   Wiktionary

  • maggot — n 1. a despicable, dirty and/or insignificant person. In British use, the predominant idea is usually beneath contempt , whereas in Australia maggot is a general ised term of abuse. 2. British money. A rare usage, heard among petty criminals or… …   Contemporary slang

  • maggot — UK [ˈmæɡət] / US noun [countable] Word forms maggot : singular maggot plural maggots a small soft creature with no arms or legs that later changes into a fly. Maggots are found in old meat and dead bodies …   English dictionary

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