Definition of maggot

Definitions

maggot

noun

A fly larva that eats decompose, decomposing flesh.
(obsolete) A whimsy or fancy.

Mr. Beveridge's Maggot, an old country dance http://www.izaak.unh.edu/nhltmd/indexes/dancingmaster/Dance/Play4199.htm.

Translations:

Dutch: made
French: asticot
German: Wurm
Spanish: gusano

Etymology: Middle English magot, magotte, probably an Anglo-Norman alteration of maddock, originally a diminutive form of a base represented by Old English maía (Scots mathe), from common Germanic root

mathon-

, from the Proto-Indo-European root

math-
, which was used in insect names. Near-cognates include Dutch made, German Made and Swedish mask. The use of maggot to mean a fanciful or whimsical thing derives from the folk belief that a whimsical or crotchety person had maggots in his or her brain.: Are you not mad, my friend? What time o' th' moon is't? <br> Have not you maggots in your brain? <br> — w:John Fletcher (playwright), John Fletcher, Women Pleased (1620), III.iv.

Supplemental Details:Sponsor an extended definition for maggot for as little as $10 per month. Click here to contact us.

Browse the Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Dictionary content provided from Wiktionary.org under the GNU Free Documentation License Allwords Copyright 1998-2013 All rights reserved.

Share this page:

More To Explore

Contact & About