earwig
1 of 2noun
earwig
2 of 2verb
transitive verb
Did you know?
Earwigs are small insects that were once thought to crawl into the ears of sleeping people. This isn't true - earwigs prefer moist, dark places under leaves and rocks to human ears - but the superstition led people to name the insect ēarwicga, Old English for "ear insect." Over time, people connected the idea of having an insect in one's ear to situations that involve whispering or speaking privately into someone's ear. The noun earwig came to also mean "a whispering busybody" (though this sense is now considered archaic), and the verb earwig evolved to refer to the acts of such meddlers. In British English, the word is more commonly used to mean "eavesdrop," as in "earwigged on their conversation at the party."
Example Sentences
oregonlive, 10 May 2020 For me, the quickest and easiest way was to record the lines, put in an earwig (a near-invisible wireless speaker) and act in the scene imagining myself there. John Wenzel, The Know, 24 Oct. 2019 The earwigs should fall onto the cloth and can then be disposed of. The Editors, Good Housekeeping, 27 July 2018 The downside is that earwigs are in heaven, enjoying the mulch cover. Margaret Lauterbach, idahostatesman, 22 June 2018 Other kids were debating whether an insect was a centipede, an earwig, or some other sort of beetle. Conor Williams, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2018 In my experience, by the time the corn is ripe there are no visible silks because earwigs have eaten them. Margaret Lauterbach, idahostatesman, 28 Mar. 2018 Pollination occurred before the earwigs had their way. Margaret Lauterbach, idahostatesman, 28 Mar. 2018 Potential pests include snails, slugs, earwigs, aphids, leafminers, thrips and whiteflies. Debbie Arrington, sacbee, 28 July 2017 See More Word History
Noun
Middle English erwigge, from Old English ēarwicga, from ēare ear + wicga insect
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1804, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
earwig
noun