Grub
/ɡrʌb/noun
A larva, especially of beetles and moths; also informal for food.
Did you know?The food sense of grub comes from the idea of something you have to dig up or root around for, while the insect sense is the older one tied to crawling, burrowing life.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*grubōną
“to dig, grub, or root around in the ground”
Old English
OE
grybban
“to dig or grub up”
Middle English
ME
grubben
“to dig, root about, or scratch up”
16th Century
English
grub
“a larva or maggot-like creature”
17th Century
English
grub
“food, especially plain or hearty food”