vermin

English

Etymology

From Middle English vermyn, vermyne, from Old French vermine, from Vulgar Latin *verminum (“vermin”), collective noun formed from Latin vermis (“worm”). See also worm.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈvɝmɪn/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈvɜːmɪn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)mɪn

Noun

vermin (countable and uncountable, plural vermin or vermins)

1. Any of various common types of small insects or other animals which cause harm and annoyance. [from c. 1300]

   The area was plagued by all sorts of vermin: fleas, lice, mice, and rats to name a few.

   • 1903, Harry de Windt, “The Great Lena Post Road”, in From Paris to New York by Land, New York, N.Y.: Frederick Warne & Co. […], published 1904, →OCLC, part I (Europe and Asia), page 27:

     Vermin was everywhere; night and day it crawled gaily over the walls and ceiling, about our bodies, and into our very food, and, although the subject did not interest us, a naturalist would have delighted in the ever-changing varieties of insect life.

2. An animal that preys on game, such as a fox or a weasel.
3. An obnoxious or mean and offensive person. [from 1560s]

   Bring these vermin to the Palace of Justice.

Usage notes

• The singular form "a vermin" is now rarely encountered, and the word is generally used as a plural.

Derived terms

• verminicide
• verminer

Translations

Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance

• Arabic: خَشَاش m (ḵašāš)
• Bashkir: ҡоротҡос (qorotqos)
• Bulgarian: вреди́тел (bg) (vredítel), гадина (bg) f (gadina)
• Catalan: menjança (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 害蟲／害虫 (zh) (hàichóng), 寄生蟲／寄生虫 (zh) (jìshēngchóng)

• Czech: havěť (cs) f, škodná f
• Danish: skadedyr (da) n
• Dutch: ongedierte (nl) n
• Esperanto: fiinsekto, bestetaĉoj
• Finnish: tuhoeläin (fi), tuholainen (fi), syöpäläinen (fi)
• French: vermine (fr) f
• Georgian: მავნებელი (mavnebeli), პარაზიტი (ṗaraziṭi)
• German: Ungeziefer (de) n, Schädlinge (de) pl, Gewürm (de) n
• Hebrew: שֶׁרֶץ (he) m (shéretz)
• Hungarian: kártevő (hu), élősdi (hu), féreg (hu)
• Irish: míolra m
• Italian: parassita (it) m
• Japanese: 害虫 (ja) (がいちゅう, gaichū), 害獣 (ja) (がいじゅう, gaijū)
• Korean: 해충 (ko) (haechung)
• Macedonian: штеточина f (štetočina)
• Middle English: vermyn
• Persian: حشره موذی (hašare-ye muzi) (insects only), جک و جانور (jak-o-jânevar) (informal)
• Polish: robactwo (pl) n
• Portuguese: vermina (pt) f
• Russian: вреди́тель (ru) m (vredítelʹ), парази́т (ru) m (parazít), гад (ru) m (gad)
• Slovak: háveď f
• Spanish: alimaña (es) f, sabandija (es) f
• Swedish: skadedjur (sv) n, ohyra (sv) c
• Vilamovian: wiym n
• Volapük: minimil (vo), (collective singular) minimilem (vo), (animal) dämabanim, (insect) dämabanäsäk
• Welsh: pryf (cy) m, pryfed (cy) pl

An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person

• Bulgarian: гад (bg) f (gad)
• Catalan: gentola (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 歹徒 (zh) (dǎitú)

• Czech: verbež (cs) f, chamraď (cs) f, pakáž f, neřád (cs) m
• Finnish: kiusankappale (fi), nilkki (fi)
• French: vermine (fr) f
• German: Gesindel (de) n, Pack (de) n
• Persian: اراذل (fa) (arâzel) (plural)
• Polish: szkodnik (pl) m
• Portuguese: verme (pt) m
• Russian: гад (ru) m (gad), подо́нок (ru) m (podónok), гни́да (ru) f (gnída)
• Spanish: gentuza (es) f, sabandija (es) f, alimaña (es) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} kahjur (et), ^{(please verify)} söödik
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} vermina
• Volapük: ^{(please verify)} vumem

See also

• varmint

Anagrams

• Mervin