noun / verb
bug
BUHG/bʌɡ/
A small insectlike creature, often regarded as a nuisance.
A small red bug crawls along the green leaf.
Etymology
The insect word’s origin is unknown; its earliest recorded use refers to bedbugs. It probably came from, or was influenced by, Middle English bugge, meaning something frightening, but that connection is not certain.
In context
instead it gets help from one particular kind of insect called a capsid bug
More examples
- A stomach bug kept him home from school.
- Please stop bugging me while I finish this calculation.
- She caught the gardening bug after growing her first tomatoes.
Forms
bug · bugs · bugged · bugging
Similar words
- insect
- A biological category, while bug has broader casual and figurative uses.