silkworm

From Middle English silkwirm, from Old English seolcwyrm (“silkworm”), equivalent to silk +‎ worm.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɪlkwɜːm/

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silkworm (plural silkworms)

2. Any of various caterpillars of moths that produce silk cocoons, especially Bombyx mori, the source of most commercial silk.
   • 2026, Elise Young, “Yagaa: Reviving Sericulture in Southern Mexico”, in Spin Off, volume L, number 1, page 16:

     Each of the two breeding periods, one in spring and one in summer, requires 2 to 3 tons of fresh leaves to feed 80,000 silkworms that will produce, on average, 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of silk fiber.

• bombic
• bombycine