Quirming

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Moving with twisting, wriggling motions like a worm or small creature ; swarming with writhing, wiggling creatures such as maggots
2. Squirming and twisting around in a restless, snake-like fashion ; crawling with a mass of wriggling, wormlike life
3. Wriggling about in twisting, writhing motions ; abounding with squirming creatures moving in a tangled mass

Etymology: "Quirming" is the present participle of "quirm," a verb recorded in Scots and northern English dialect for a low, continuous humming or murmuring, most often of bees or a crowd. Dialect dictionaries record the sound more often than they record the word's history, so its origin is uncertain. It is probably imitative, built on the sound it describes, but no firm early date or confirmed source is available. Because "quirm" stayed largely regional rather than entering standard English, it rarely appears in general-purpose dictionaries, and its participle is seen mostly in older dialect writing.