varmint
English
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varmint
- /ˈvɑːmɪnt/ UK
- /ˈvɑɹmɪnt/ US
Where it comes from
Dialectal form of vermin, derived from Latin vermis (“worm”), c. 1530–1540s. Perhaps influenced by Latin vargus (“bandit, outlaw, scoundrel”), though the pronunciation in /ɑː(ɹ)/ is more likely due to the same lowering of /ɛr/ > /ar/ found in carve < Middle English kerven and starve < Middle English sterven. The final syllable is probably altered after -ment; compare parchment < Middle English parchemyn.
noun varmints
- A pestilent or predatory ground-borne animal, especially one that kills or harasses a farmer's animals or crops. Its windows were merely open spaces in the walls, which in the summertime were covered with greasy strips of cheesecloth to keep out the varmints that feasted on Maycomb’s refuse. The varmints had a lean time of it,[…]
- An obnoxious person or troublemaker. You'd be but a fierce young hound indeed, if at your time of life you could help to hunt a wretched warmint, hunted as near death and dunghill as this poor wretched warmint is!
Translations
Talk about this word "varmint." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/varmint. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. varmint. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/varmint "varmint." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/varmint.Cite this
@misc{varmint_2026,
title = {varmint},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/varmint},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
