Meanings
nounvermin sg or pl (plural vermins)
plural vermins · alternative dialectal varmin
- pluralsingularAny of various common types of small insects or other animals which cause harm and annoyance.First known use c. 1300
The area was crawling with all sorts of vermin: fleas, lice, mice, and rats to name a few. Thus, we felt as if vermin were crawling over us.
1 more example
Vermin was everywhere; night and day it crawled gaily over the walls and ceiling, about our bodies, and into our very food, and, although the subject did not interest us, a naturalist would have delighted in the ever-changing varieties of insect life.
1903, Harry de Windt, “The Great Lena Post Road”, in From Paris to New York by Land, New York, N.Y.: Frederick Warne & Co. […], published 1904, →OCLC, part I (Europe and Asia), page 27
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinvermis“worm”
- Vulgar Latin*verminum“vermin”
- Old Frenchvermine
- Middle Englishvermyn
- Englishvermin
From Middle English vermyn, vermyne, from Old French vermine, from Vulgar Latin *verminum (“vermin”), collective noun formed from Latin vermis (“worm”). Compare vermiculate and vermivorous. See also worm.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Vulgar Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic خَشَاش, هَامَّة
- خَشَاش (ḵašāš)Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- هَامَّة (hāmma)Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
Bulgarian вреди́тел, гадина
- вреди́тел (vredítel)Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- гадина (gadina)Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- гад (gad)An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
Catalan menjança, gentola
- menjançaAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- gentolaAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
Chinese Mandarin 害蟲 /害虫, 歹徒
- 害蟲 /害虫 (hàichóng)Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- 歹徒 (dǎitú)An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
Czech havěť, škodná
- havěťAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- škodnáAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- verbežAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
- chamraďAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
- pakážAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
- neřádAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
Danish skadedyr
- skadedyrAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
Dutch ongedierte
- ongedierteAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
Esperanto fiinsekto, bestetaĉoj
- fiinsektoAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- bestetaĉojAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
Finnish tuhoeläin, tuholainen
- tuhoeläinAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- tuholainenAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- syöpäläinenAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- kiusankappaleAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
- nilkkiAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
French vermine, vermine
- vermineAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- vermineAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
German Ungeziefer, Schädlinge
- UngezieferAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- SchädlingeAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- GewürmAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- GesindelAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
- PackAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
Hebrew שֶׁרֶץ
- שֶׁרֶץ (shéretz)Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
Hungarian kártevő, élősdi
- kártevőAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- élősdiAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- féregAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
Irish míolra
- míolraAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
Italian parassita
- parassitaAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
Japanese 害虫, 害獣
- 害虫 (gaichū)Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- 害獣 (gaijū)Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
Korean 해충
- 해충 (haechung)Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
Latin blatta
- blattaAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
Persian حشره موذی, جک و جانور
- حشره موذی (hašare-ye muzi)Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- جک و جانور (jak-o-jânevar)Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- اراذل (arâzel)An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
Polish robactwo, szkodnik
- robactwoAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- szkodnikAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
Portuguese vermina, verme
- verminaAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- vermeAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
Russian вреди́тель, парази́т
- вреди́тель (vredítelʹ)Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- парази́т (parazít)Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- гад (gad)Any of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- гад (gad)An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
- подо́нок (podónok)An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
- гни́да (gnída)An obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
Slovak háveď, čvarga
- háveďAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- čvargaAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
Spanish alimaña, sabandija
- alimañaAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- sabandijaAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- alimaniaAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- gentuzaAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
- sabandijaAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
- alimañaAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
- alimaniaAn obnoxious, or mean and offensive person
Swedish skadedjur, ohyra
- skadedjurAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- ohyraAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
Welsh pryf, pryfed
- pryfAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
- pryfedAny of various common types of small insects or animals which cause harm and annoyance
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with vermin
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
vermin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vermin
MLA
“vermin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vermin. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vermin,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vermin.
Source: vermin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.