People who are passionate and avid readers, spending much time absorbed in books; also, the larval forms of insects that literally burrow through books.
From 'book' (Old English 'bōc') + 'worm' (Old English 'wyrm', a snake or worm-like creature). The literal meaning (insects damaging books) came first; the metaphorical meaning (devoted readers) emerged by the 17th century.
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