Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of various caterpillars that produce silk cocoons, especially the larva of a moth (Bombyx mori) native to Asia that spins a cocoon of fine, strong, lustrous fiber that is the source of commercial silk.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The larva or caterpillar of a bombycine moth or silk-moth which in the chrysalis state is inclosed in a cocoon of silk; especially, such a larva, as of Bombyx (Sericaria) mori and allied species, from which silk of commercial value is obtained.
  • noun A shopper who examines goods without buying.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Zoöl.) The larva of any one of numerous species of bombycid moths, which spins a large amount of strong silk in constructing its cocoon before changing to a pupa.
  • noun the larva of the Pernyi moth. See Pernyi moth.
  • noun a substance prepared from the contents of the silk glands of silkworms and used in making lines for angling. See Gut.
  • noun a disease of silkworms; muscardine.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any of various caterpillars of moths that produce silk cocoons, especially Bombyx mori which is the source of most commercial silk.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun larva of a saturniid moth; spins a large amount of strong silk in constructing its cocoon
  • noun the commercially bred hairless white caterpillar of the domestic silkworm moth which spins a cocoon that can be processed to yield silk fiber; the principal source of commercial silk

Etymologies

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Examples

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  • Two silkworms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

    October 21, 2008

  • Ha!

    April 8, 2011