Definitions For Earworm

Noun

EARWORM (plural EARWORMs) A tune#noun, tune that keep#verb, keeps replay#verb, replaying in one's head#noun, head or that one keeps think#verb, thinking about, especially if unwanted. (originally, US) {{short for, en, corn earworm, nodot=1}} (“larva of the moths Helicoverpa zea (syn. Heliothis zea) and Helicoverpa armigera, which are agricultural pests”). (archaic) An earwig, t=insect of the order#noun, order dermaptera.

Alternative forms

ear worm ear-worm

Derived terms

earwormy

Related terms

ear candy earsore

Translations

Chinese: : Mandarin: 耳蟲}}, {{t, cmn, 耳虫 (ěrchóng) Danish: ørehænger, c Dutch: oorwurm, m Faroese: landaplága, f Finnish: korvamato, pää, päässä soida, soiva kappale German: Ohrwurm, m Italian: tormentone, m Hungarian: dallamtapadás Russian: навязчивая мело́дия, f Scottish Gaelic: èist-bhèist, f Serbo-Croatian: muzika u glavi, f Spanish: melodía pegadiza, f, melodía pegajosa, f Swedish: öronmask, c Tamil: காதுப்புழு short for corn earworm, corn earworm earwig

Etymology

{{multiple images }} from ear + worm; senses 1 and 3 (“tune that keeps replaying in one’s head”; “earwig”) are a {{calque + en + de + ohrwurm + t=tune that pops up in one’s memory all the time; earwig + nocap=1}}compare {{r:oed online + pos=n.{{sup + 1}} + noformat=yes + id=318883 + date=march 2015 + nodot=1}}; {{r:oed online + pos=n.{{sup + 2}} + noformat=yes + id=412663 + date=march 2015 + nodot=1}}; {{r:lexico + maize or sweet corn./">pos=n}} (from the idea of a creature burrowing into the ear, an erroneous belief where earwigs are concerned), while sense 2 (“moth larva”) refers to the fact that these pests infest, among other things, ears of maize or sweet corn.