The soft, legless larvae of flies that are often found on rotting meat or garbage.
From Middle English 'magot,' possibly deriving from Old Norse 'mathkr' or related to Old English 'matha' meaning worm or grub. The word has been used since at least the 14th century.
Maggots are actually lifesavers in modern medicine—surgeons use sterile maggots to clean dead tissue from infected wounds because they eat only dead flesh and produce antibiotics, a technique called 'maggot therapy' that's making a comeback.
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