earwig

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earwig

/ˈɪə(ɹ)wɪɡ/

Where it comes from

From Middle English erwigge, from Old English ēarwicga, from ēare (“ear”) + wicga (“insect”), so named from the appearance of the hindwings, which are unique in their resemblance to human ears when unfolded.

Compare typologically Dutch oorworm, German Ohrwurm, Danish ørentvist; French perce-oreille, Romanian urechelniță; Russian уховёртка (uxovjórtka), Serbo-Croatian uholaža, Slovak ucholak; Lithuanian auslinda (all are cognates via Proto-Indo-European *h₂ows-). Also compare Mongolian чихүүр хорхой (čixüür xorxoi) (<+ чих (čix)), Turkish kulağakaçan (<+ kulak).

noun earwigs · earywig

Any of various insects of the order Dermaptera that have elongated bodies, large membranous wings folded underneath short leathery forewings and a pair of large pincers protruding from the rear of the abdomen. "That's a fine young fellow," said the historiographer of earwigs, to an American who stood next him in the crowd.
Similar: forkytail, pincher bug, twinge
One who whispers insinuations; a secret counsellor. That gawdy earwig, or my lord your patron, Whose pensioner you are.
A flatterer.

verb earwigs · earwigging · earwigged · earywig

transitive To fill the mind of with prejudice by insinuations.
transitive To attempt to influence by persistent confidential argument or talk. In the interim, rest assured that Mr. Atherstone is by no means your friend, for he was perpetually earwigging poor Sir Rowland.
UK, intransitive, slang To eavesdrop. He had heard nothing from Fin, or anyone else, since the angry exchange the other night and was worried about how things were going, but he couldn′t ask about the LeMotts, not with Mum earwigging.
UK, slang, transitive To eavesdrop on. We are meeting at a friendly, higher-end Shanghai brunching spot beloved of expats—cramped and informal enough that one of the three bankers at the next table is cheerfully earwigging our conversation.

Translations

Every language

noun insect of the order Dermaptera

Español	tijereta
한국어	집게벌레 jipgebeolle
日本語	鋏虫, 蠼螋
中文	蠼螋 qúsōu
Português	tesourinha, lacrainha, rapino, bicha-cadela
Français	forficule, perce-oreille
Deutsch	Ohrwurm, Ohrenkriecher, Ohrkneifer
Italiano	forficula, forfecchia
Română	urechelniță
Русский	уховёртка uxovjórtka
Tiếng Việt	sâu tai
العربية	أَبُو مِقَصّ ʔabū miqaṣṣ

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MLA

"earwig." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/earwig. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

earwig. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/earwig

Chicago

"earwig." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/earwig.

BibTeX

@misc{earwig_2026,
  title = {earwig},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/earwig},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}