Beworms

/bɪˈwɝmz/ verb

Definition

A rare archaic verb form, third-person singular present tense of 'beworm,' meaning it infests with worms or causes something to become wormy.

Etymology

From 'beworm' in third-person singular form with '-s' ending. This represents the standard conjugation of the now-obsolete verb 'beworm,' showing how speakers in earlier periods of English would have conjugated it like any regular verb.

Kelly Says

'Beworms' appears in texts describing grain stores, timber, or corpses becoming infested—it was a real verb for a real problem. The fact that we don't use it anymore doesn't mean people stopped worrying about worms; it just means modern English developed other ways to express the concept, often by separating verbs from their grammatical objects.

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