Budworms

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Small moth larvae that eat the developing buds, shoots and flowers of trees and crops, causing considerable damage to plants
2. The caterpillar stage of certain moths that burrows into and devours plant buds and blossoms, often harming forests and farm crops
3. Insect larvae which chew through young buds and flowering parts of plants, a pest that can strip foliage and reduce harvests

Etymology: "Budworms" is the plural of "budworm," a compound of "bud" and "worm." The pairing is literal: these are the wormlike larvae of moths that feed on the buds of trees and shrubs, boring into or devouring them before they can open. The name describes the larva's habit and its shape without any technical coinage behind it. Because the word is a plain combination of two English words, its history is simply the history of its parts. "Bud" and "worm" are both old native terms, so the compound needs no borrowing from Latin or Greek to explain it. The meaning stays close to the original picture of a worm living on buds.