Vermin

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Vermin \Ver"min\, n. sing. & pl.; used chiefly as plural. [OE.
     vermine, F. vermine, from L. vermis a worm; cf. LL. vermen a
     worm, L. verminosus full of worms. See {Vermicular}, {Worm}.]
     1. An animal, in general. [Obs.]
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              Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the
              earth, and vermin, and worms, and fowls. --Acts x.
                                                    12. (Geneva
                                                    Bible).
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              This crocodile is a mischievous fourfooted beast, a
              dangerous vermin, used to both elements. --Holland.
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     2. A noxious or mischievous animal; especially, noxious
        little animals or insects, collectively, as squirrels,
        rats, mice, worms, flies, lice, bugs, etc. "Cruel hounds
        or some foul vermin." --Chaucer.
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              Great injuries these vermin, mice and rats, do in
              the field.                            --Mortimer.
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              They disdain such vermin when the mighty boar of the
              forest . . . is before them.          --Burke.
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     3. Hence, in contempt, noxious human beings.
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              You are my prisoners, base vermin.    --Hudibras.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  vermin
       n 1: an irritating or obnoxious person [syn: {varmint}]
       2: any of various small animals or insects that are pests; e.g.
          cockroaches or rats

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  56 Moby Thesaurus words for "vermin":
     amphibian, animal, aquatic, beast, biped, canine, cannibal,
     carnivore, cattle, chaff, cosmopolite, cur, dog, dregs,
     dregs of society, feline, gnawer, herbivore, hound, hyena, insect,
     insectivore, invertebrate, mammal, mammalian, marsupial,
     marsupialian, mongrel, offscourings, offscum, omnivore, pig,
     polecat, primate, quadruped, raff, reptile, riffraff, rodent,
     rubbish, ruminant, scavenger, scum, serpent, skunk, snake, sordes,
     swine, swinish multitude, trash, ungulate, varmint, vertebrate,
     viper, whelp, worm