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Meaning of "earworm" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD EARWORM

From German Ohrwurm earwig.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF EARWORM

earworm  [ˈɪəˌwɜːm] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF EARWORM

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Earworm is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES EARWORM MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Earworm

An earworm, sometimes known as a brainworm, is a catchy piece of music that continually repeats through a person's mind after it is no longer playing. Phrases used to describe an earworm include musical imagery repetition, involuntary musical imagery, and stuck song syndrome. The word earworm is a calque from the German Ohrwurm and was, according to Oliver Sacks, first used in the 1980s. Researchers who have studied and written about the phenomenon include Theodor Reik, Sean Bennett, Oliver Sacks, Daniel Levitin, James Kellaris, Philip Beaman, Vicky Williamson, and, in a more theoretical perspective, Peter Szendy. The phenomenon is common and should not be confused with palinacousis, a rare medical condition caused by damage to the temporal lobe of the brain that results in auditory hallucinations.

Definition of earworm in the English dictionary

The definition of earworm in the dictionary is an irritatingly catchy tune.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH EARWORM


bloodworm
ˈblʌdˌwɜːm
bollworm
ˈbəʊlˌwɜːm
bookworm
ˈbʊkˌwɜːm
cankerworm
ˈkæŋkəˌwɜːm
copperworm
ˈkɒpəˌwɜːm
cutworm
ˈkʌtˌwɜːm
earthworm
ˈɜːθˌwɜːm
fireworm
ˈfaɪəˌwɜːm
flatworm
ˈflætˌwɜːm
hairworm
ˈhɛəˌwɜːm
heartworm
ˈhɑːtˌwɜːm
hookworm
ˈhʊkˌwɜːm
mealworm
ˈmiːlˌwɜːm
pinworm
ˈpɪnˌwɜːm
ringworm
ˈrɪŋˌwɜːm
roundworm
ˈraʊndˌwɜːm
sandworm
ˈsændˌwɜːm
silkworm
ˈsɪlkˌwɜːm
tapeworm
ˈteɪpˌwɜːm
wireworm
ˈwaɪəˌwɜːm

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE EARWORM

earthquake magnitude
earthrise
earthset
Earthshaker
earthshaking
earthshine
earthstar
earthward
earthwards
earthwoman
earthwork
earthworm
earthy
earwax
earwig
earwigged
earwigging
earwiggy
earwitness

WORDS THAT END LIKE EARWORM

army worm
bagworm
budworm
corn earworm
deworm
fishworm
glow-worm
Guinea worm
hornworm
inchworm
lindworm
lungworm
pillworm
threadworm
tube worm
webworm
whipworm
white worm
woodworm
worm

Synonyms and antonyms of earworm in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «earworm» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF EARWORM

Find out the translation of earworm to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of earworm from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «earworm» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

棉铃虫
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

earworm
570 millions of speakers

English

earworm
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

earworm
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

earworm
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

хлопковой
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

earworm
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

earworm
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

ver de l´épi
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Cacing
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Ohrwurm
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

イヤーワーム
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

earworm
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Earworm
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

earworm
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

earworm
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

इअरवॉर्म
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

kulakkurdu´dur
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

earworm
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

earworm
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

бавовняної
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

viermele
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

σκώληκας
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

earworm
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

earworm
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

earworm
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of earworm

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «EARWORM»

The term «earworm» is regularly used and occupies the 83.660 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
61
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «earworm» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of earworm
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «earworm».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «EARWORM» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «earworm» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «earworm» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about earworm

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «EARWORM»

Discover the use of earworm in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to earworm and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Earworm
Sprawling, irrepressible, "Earworm" darts with wild control and energy, like a skateboard in a car park, taking the reader along on its engaging ride." --David O'Meara
Nick Thran, 2011
2
Farmers' Bulletin
A single corn earworm may seriously damage or destroy the bud of a cole crop plant, causing the plant to be disfigured or to produce several secondary buds. Earworms may disfigure the heads of cabbage plants by their feeding and tunneling ...
‎1971
3
Dent corn inbreds and hybrids resistant to the corn earworm ...
The percentage of kernels damaged by the earworm in Dixie 18 was only about one-sixth of that in Station Mosby. Earworm loss to La. 1030 was negligible. In addition to direct loss in yield due to the earworm, the earworm-susceptible hybrids ...
W. A. Douglas, R. C. Eckhardt, 1957
4
Corn Earworm Rearing Mechanization
The cannibalistic habits of the corn earworm. U.S. Dep. Agric. Bull. 499, 18 pp. (2) . 1936. Method of rearing the corn ear- worm larvae. J. Econ. Entomol. 29: 1175- 1176. (3) Berger, R. S. 1963. Laboratory techniques for rearing Heliothts ...
Alton N. Sparks, Edsel Aurburn Harrell, 1976
5
Corn earworm as an enemy of vetch
/\0~\ UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS ; J V l^W AGRICULTURE LIBRARY CORN EARWORM AS AN ENEMY OF VETCH. By Philip Luginbill, Associate Entomologist, and A. H. Beyer, Scientific Assistant, Division of Cereal and Forage Insects, Bureau ...
Philip Luginbill, Adolph Harvey Beyer, 1921
6
Insect Resistant Maize: Recent Advances and Utilization : ...
Rearing the corn earworm and fall armyworm for maize resistance studies. In Toward Insect Resistant Maize for the Third World: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Methodologies for Developing Host Plant Resistance to Maize ...
‎1997
7
Evaluation of light traps and sex pheromone for control of ...
Corn Earworm Seasonal and area variations in trap catches of both sexes of corn earworm moths are shown in figure 4. Actual mean weekly catches of corn earworm moths are shown in table 2. Corn earworm moths were captured during  ...
J. W. Debolt, United States. Science and Education Administration, 1980
8
Breeding better vegetables for the South at the U.S. ...
Particular attention has been given to breeding for earworm resistance and for ability to withstand the ravages of animals. The corn earworm (Heliothis armigera Hbn.) is widely distributed and very troublesome in some of the sweet corn ...
United States. Dept. of Agriculture, 1945
9
Handbook of Vegetable Pests
Corn Earworm Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Natural History Distribution. Corn earworm is found throughout North America except for northern Canada and Alaska. It tends to be less abundant west of the Rocky ...
John L. Capinera, 2001
10
Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to ...
A. Small group of eggs of corn earworm laid on cotton leaf. B. Freeman, B. Corn earworm pupa. K. Gray. C. Adult corn earworm. W. Cranshaw. D. Corn earworm adult visiting flower. J. Lopez/USDA-ARS. E. Corn earworm (cotton bollworm) ...
Whitney Cranshaw, 2004

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «EARWORM»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term earworm is used in the context of the following news items.
1
One of the greatest Cannes winners is back in theaters
(That earworm zither score—jaunty at one moment, curiously affecting at others—helps modulate the mood.) One of Reed's more courageous, ... «A.V. Club, Jul 15»
2
Fischer's Fab Five
Dance rock or alt-pop labels aside, the quartet fashions persuasive hooks, bright melodies and earworm choruses, an approach that's ... «ThisWeekNews, Jul 15»
3
Go see some live music: Blondie, Fastball and Rembrandts, Stu Hamm
Though Fastball and the Rembrandts are seen by many as one hit wonders - the former for their 1998 earworm "The Way," the latter for "I'll Be ... «Bucks County Courier Times, Jul 15»
4
West central Michigan vegetable regional report – July 8, 2015
Sweet corn growers should consider placing corn earworm traps out near sweet corn between green silk emergence and brown silks. «Michigan State University Extension, Jul 15»
5
EZTV Calling Out
The entire record gives off a feeling of warmth — the vocals reminiscent of Kinks frontman Ray Davies, the earworm melodies, the way each ... «Exclaim!, Jul 15»
6
Five fresh Kiwi acts to keep your eyes on
This might all be factual - or it might be made up - but the earworm quality of fresh n funky grooves like Hot Love and Got It Bad (think Jungle ... «New Zealand Herald, Jul 15»
7
LIVE: Hotei at The Lexington, London ¦ 8 July 2015
... the first track of which sees him breaking into that delicious earworm of a riff to Apollo 440's 1997 hit single 'Ain't Talkin' Bout Dub'. The crowd ... «Never Enough Notes, Jul 15»
8
Dangerous Music Release Convert-2 and Convert-8 Reference DACs
Mike Wells, Mastering Engineer for clients such as Green Day, Prince, DJ Earworm, and Apple Computer, says about the CONVERT-2, "This ... «AskAudio Magazine, Jul 15»
9
Interview with Moose Blood: The Warped Canterbury Tales
The young quartet epitomizes the best parts of emo: the heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics, the employment of true earworm melodies and just enough ... «Aquarian Weekly, Jul 15»
10
What Moon Things Have Huge Sound, Will Travel
With their penchant for stoned grooves and the fierce dynamics of earworm guitar licks butting up against empty space and sudden squalls of ... «Village Voice, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Earworm [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/earworm>. Apr 2024 ».
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