Etymograph

English

vermin

Vermin may come from Latin vermis ‘worm’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to turn, to bend’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-1‘to turn, to bend’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wr̥mis2‘worm’uncertain
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wormis2‘worm’uncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvermis3‘worm’uncertain
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*verminum3uncertain
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400vermine3
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500vermyn3‘Dangerous or foul animals’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1903vermin3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin vermis
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English vermin
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1903, Harry de Windt, The Great Lena Post Road: “Vermin was everywhere; night and day it crawled gaily…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wer-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis‘to turn, to bend’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wr̥misWiktionary, Latin vermis‘worm’uncertain
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wormisWiktionary, Latin vermis‘worm’uncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvermisWiktionary, English vermin‘worm’uncertain
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*verminumWiktionary, English verminuncertain
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400vermineWiktionary, English vermin
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500vermynWiktionary, English vermin‘Dangerous or foul animals’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1903verminWiktionary, English vermin. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1903, Harry de Windt, The Great Lena Post Road: “Vermin was everywhere; night and day it crawled gaily…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to turn, to bend’

wear, guard, ward, regard, con, garage, warn, beware, garrison, optic, ware, weir, panorama, verge, wry, reverence, prosaic, guaranty, revere, diorama, milliner, 71 more

through Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis ‘worm’

worm, 17 more

through Latin vermis ‘worm’

varmint, vermeil, 16 more

Today it means

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

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “vermin”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis, Latin vermis. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wer- / vermin

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