earwig

earwig is defined in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913) with 3 senses, and appears in Roget's Thesaurus (1911) with 24 related terms. The full text of each entry is reproduced verbatim below.

Definitions

  1. 1.(Zoöl.) In America, any small chilopodous myriapod, esp. of the genus Geophilus. Note: Both insects are so called from the supposition that they creep into the human ear.
  2. 2.A whisperer of insinuations; a secret counselor. Johnson.
  3. 3.To influence, or attempt to influence, by whispered insinuations or private talk. "No longer was he earwigged by the Lord Cravens." Lord Campbell.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related terms (Roget's 1911)

Source: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).

Related questions

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is earwig.

Sources

  • Definitions: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
  • Synonyms: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
  • Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/word/earwig
  • Steward: Jason Burns