moth etymology

Etymology:

  • Middle English: mothe, from Old English: mohþe, related to Old Norse: motti, Middle Dutch: motte, German: Motte.
  • Probably from an Indo-European root *mat- ("worm-eaten wood").

Meaning:

  • A flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, typically having a stout body and large, feathery wings covered with scales.
  • Colloquially, a person who is attracted to light or who is drawn to a particular place or activity.

Origin:

  • The term "moth" has been used in English since at least the 10th century.
  • The Indo-European root *mat- is also the origin of the word "maggot" and suggests an association with wood-eating insects.
  • The name is believed to have been originally applied to a type of moth that infests cloth, as in the phrase "cloth moths."

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