A history of the word "bookworm" -- and the insects that inspired it

We’re so accustomed to calling ourselves bookworms that we never put much thought into the etymology of the word.

Thankfully, BookRiot has done that extremely heavy lifting for us — and you, if you’re scratching your chin thoughtfully along with us.

Learn about the earliest appearances of the word, about the insects that it could refer to, the literal translations of other languages’ equivalents, and more at BookRiot.

Related posts 

• The words that were coined in 1921 

• Check out the Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction