English[]
Etymology[]
From Middle English magot, magotte, probably Template:Xno[[Category:Template:Xno derivations|Maggot]] alteration of maddock (“‘worm", "maggot’”), originally a diminutive form of a base represented by Old English maþa (Scots mathe), from common Germanic root *mathon-, from the Proto-Indo-European root *math-, which was used in insect names. Near-cognates include Dutch made, German Made and Swedish mask. The use of maggot to mean a fanciful or whimsical thing derives from the folk belief that a whimsical or crotchety person had maggots in his or her brain.
Pronunciation[]
Noun[]
Singular |
Plural |
Maggot ({{{1}}})
- A soft, legless larva of a fly or other dipterous insect, that often eats decomposing organic matter.
- A term of insult for a 'worthless' person, as if a bug.
- Drop and give me fifty, maggot.
- (obsolete) A whimsy or fancy.
- Mr. Beveridge's Maggot, an old country dance [1].
- 1620, John Fletcher, Women Pleased, III.iv.
- Are you not mad, my friend? What time o' th' moon is't? / Have not you maggots in your brain?
Synonyms[]
- grub
Derived terms[]
|
|
Related terms[]
- mawk
- mawkish
Translations[]
|
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
et:maggot fr:maggot hy:maggot io:maggot id:maggot hu:maggot ml:maggot my:maggot nl:maggot pl:maggot pt:maggot ro:maggot ru:maggot ta:maggot te:maggot vi:maggot zh:maggot