Bookworm
/ˈbʊkˌwɜːrm/noun
A person who likes reading a lot, or a small insect that feeds on books or paper.
Did you know?The word first named the actual insects that gnaw books and paper; only later did it become a metaphor for a person who devours reading the way the worm devours parchment.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
English
bōcwyrm
“A worm or insect that infests books”
Middle English
English
bokworm
“A book-eating worm or larva”
16th Century
English
bookworm
“Still mainly the insect that damages books and manuscripts”
17th Century
English
bookworm
“A person devoted to reading”
Modern English
English
bookworm
“A voracious reader; also the insect that feeds on books and paper”