varmint
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English
Etymology
Dialectal form of vermin, derived from Latin vermis (“worm”), c. 1530–1540s.
Perhaps influenced by Latin vargus (“bandit, outlaw, scoundrel”), though the pronunciation in /ɑː(ɹ)/ is more likely due to the same lowering of /ɛr/ > /ar/ found in carve < Middle English kerven and starve < Middle English sterven. The final syllable is probably altered after -ment; compare parchment < Middle English parchemyn.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈvɑːmɪnt/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈvɑɹmɪnt/
Noun
varmint (plural varmints)
- A pestering animal such as one that kills or harasses a farmer's livestock or crops.
- (by extension) An obnoxious person or troublemaker.
Derived terms
Translations
pestering animal
person who is obnoxious
References
- ^ “varmint”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- ^ Jespersen, Otto (1909) A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles (Sammlung germanischer Elementar- und Handbücher; 9), volumes I: Sounds and Spellings, London: George Allen & Unwin, published 1961, § 7.62, page 220.
