MAGGOT
/ˈmæɡət/Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2025
Meaning
A soft, legless larva of a fly or other dipteran insect, that often eats decomposing organic matter.
Etymology
Origin: Old English
From Middle English magot, magat, maked, probably a metathetic alteration of maddock, maðek (“worm", "maggot”), originally a diminutive form of a base represented by Old English maþa (Scots mathe), from Proto-West Germanic *maþō, from Proto-Germanic *maþô, from the Proto-Indo-European root *mat, which was used in insect names, equivalent to made + -ock. Near-cognates include Dutch made, German Made and Swedish mask, Icelandic maðkur (“worm, grub, maggot”). The use of maggot to mean a fanciful or whimsical thing derives from the folk belief that a whimsical or crotchety person had maggots in their brain.
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 1 recorded puzzle: