Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

vermifuge

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.12 in modern English

Syllables: ver-mifuge
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Acting as a drug to cause the expulsion or death of intestinal worms.

Dated

noun

A drug that causes the expulsion or death of intestinal worms, such as tapeworms.

Dated

Example Sentences

"1867, Advertisement, The Prairie Farmer, Volume 20, New Series, page 264, We have been informed that the usual practice of Merchants, Farmers and Planters, in ordering their supplies of Dr. McLane's Celebrated VERMIFUGE, has been to simply write and order Vermifuge. The consequence is that instead of the genuine Dr. McLanes's Vermifuge, they very frequently get one or other of the many worthless preparations called Vermifuge now before the public."
"[...]; that the fruit is very good eating, either raw or boiled, and that the seeds, distinguished by a mustard-like pungency, are an efficacious vermifuge for children."

Etymology

Attested since about 1720, from Latin vermis (“worm”) + fugāre (“to cause to flee”). Compare -fuge.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: vermis

Usage

Dated

Inflected Forms

more vermifuge (comparative) most vermifuge (superlative) vermifuges (plural)

Derived Forms

vermifugal

Synonyms

anthelmintic anthelminthic helminthic

Questions

What does vermifuge mean?: Acting as a drug to cause the expulsion or death of intestinal worms.
Where does vermifuge come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce vermifuge

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