noun
bookworm
BOOK-wurm/ˈbʊkwɜːrm/
An insect larva that feeds on books.
A bookworm chews a tunnel through the old volume's pages.
Etymology
Book and worm form a figurative name for someone devoted to reading or study. This reader sense is recorded earlier than the compound’s use for insects that eat holes in books.
In context
I've always been a bookworm. when I would get in trouble growing up, they would take away my books
More examples
- Some bookworms feed on the glue in book bindings.
- The conservator finds a bookworm beneath the damaged binding.
- Tiny bookworms have eaten channels through the old pages.
Forms
bookworm · bookworms
Similar words
- larva
- Names an immature insect without implying damage to books.