silkworm

[ silk-wurm ]

noun

1. the larva of the Chinese silkworm moth, Bombyx mori, which spins a cocoon of commercially valuable silk.
2. the larva of any of several moths of the family Saturniidae, which spins a silken cocoon.

silkworm

/ ˈsɪlkˌwɜːm /

noun

1. the larva of the Chinese moth Bombyx mori, that feeds on the leaves of the mulberry tree: widely cultivated as a source of silk
2. any of various similar or related larvae
3. silkworm moth
   the moth of any of these larvae

Word History and Origins

Origin of silkworm¹

before 1000; Middle English sylkewyrme, Old English seolcwyrm. See silk, worm

Example Sentences

Singapore recently approved 16 types of bugs, including crickets, silkworms, grasshoppers and honey bees, as food.

From BBC

Legend says the island used to be famous for sericulture and farmers would keep cats because they would chase away rats, protecting the silkworm cocoons from the rodents.

From Seattle Times

“One time,” said Mara, “we destroyed a whole city’s economy after all their silkworms died.”

From Literature

Addressing this issue, recent research has been published by researchers focusing on a hemostatic agent derived from mussels and silkworm cocoons.

From Science Daily

The other, Siena McKim of the University of California, Santa Barbara, discovered that at least one amphipod species produces this fiber with some of the same genes as silkworms.

From Science Magazine