a worm or creature of folklore, sometimes associated with witchcraft, illness, or supernatural harm.
From 'hag' plus 'worm,' combining two elements of medieval superstition; the term may refer to parasitic worms that caused actual illness, which people attributed to witchcraft.
Before germ theory, people saw worms in wounds and diseased tissues and assumed witches were sending them—this word captures how folklore was often people's desperate attempt to explain real parasitic infections.
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