2006-07-15 06:12:21 · 12 answers · asked by andi 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Trivia
The name "earwig" is generally said to originate from an old European belief that earwigs crawl into people's ears and lay eggs in the brain. This etymology is given by the Oxford English Dictionary, which states unequivocally that the name is derived from Old English éare, "ear", and wicga, "insect", "from the notion that it penetrates into the head through the ear." Earwigs do tend to prefer being in hidden places, and this etymology parallels the unambiguous French name perce-oreille ("ear piercer"). Another hypothesis is that the word comes from the Late Latin auricula, owing to the ancient use of pulverized earwigs as medicine to treat diseases of the ear. A third explanation is that it is an alteration of "ear-wing", after the shape of the hind wings when unfolded.
btw, Google sucks...
2006-07-15 06:18:00 · answer #1 · answered by Mike L 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Earwig Wiki
2016-12-28 14:36:39 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why Are Earwigs Called Earwigs
2016-11-18 05:44:42 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I left my ear defenders outside overnight. I donned them to do some chainsaw-ing, then experienced a "tickling". I removed them and found an earwig inside. This led to a household discussion on the origin of the name, hence the Google search. To think my brain was almost eaten by a clever premeditative insect!
2014-09-21 04:16:30 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are called earwigs because A long time ago, people in britian believed they would climb in you ear and wig(mess) up your brain. They do not do that, but the name stuck.
2006-07-15 06:17:30 · answer #5 · answered by Ian978 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Apparently when it was fashionable to wear wigs, they were rarely cleaned and became home to insects including earwigs. They sometimes fell out of the wigs and people thought they had fallen from the ears.
2006-07-21 08:06:24 · answer #6 · answered by nannacrocodiles 3 · 7⤊ 0⤋
It supposedly creeps (wiggles) into the human ear and from there burrows into the coolest. unfaithful! unfaithful! This quote from the three hundred and sixty 5 days 1601 is humorous: "If an earwig be gotten into the eare, spit into an similar, and that is going to come forth anon."
2016-12-10 09:59:20 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
its there name
2006-07-22 06:28:02 · answer #8 · answered by GRUMPY /UK 5 · 0⤊ 7⤋
just old fashion English language
2015-06-28 08:04:55 · answer #9 · answered by Emily 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This is like that game, you are given totally different answers and you have to guess which one is right! :)
2014-07-29 05:18:16 · answer #10 · answered by Tammy 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋