What does maggot mean?
A maggot is the larval stage of a fly, particularly the type that develops in rotting meat, waste, or other decaying material. The word can therefore suggest infestation, decay, and physical unpleasantness. It also has a harsh figurative use for someone considered contemptible or detestable, though this is normally an insult rather than a neutral description. In expressions such as "have a maggot in one's head," it refers to a strange, eccentric, or unreasonable notion. Maggots are not merely objects of disgust: some species help decompose organic matter, and sterile larvae have been used in controlled medical treatments to remove damaged tissue from wounds. Thus, the word combines entomological precision with some of the strongest disgust and hostility found in everyday vocabulary.
nounA maggot is the larva of a fly, especially one that develops in decaying organic matter. Figuratively, the word can refer contemptibly to a thoroughly despicable person.
- The larva of a fly, especially one found in decaying animal or vegetable matter.
- A contemptible or odious person.
- An eccentric, foolish, or unreasonable idea, as in the expression of having a maggot in one's head.
"Maggots crawled through the fallen fruit while the gardener watched in disgust."
"The forensic scientist estimated that the maggots were about three days old."
"The suggestion was dismissed as the product of someone with a maggot in his head."
The regular plural is used for both fly larvae and, figuratively, contemptible people.
"Maggots spread through the warm soil."
Some maggots are tiny surgeons: sterile larvae used in maggot therapy can remove dead tissue from wounds that ordinary treatment has failed to clean.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does maggot come from?
The word comes through Middle English from Old French maggot, an Old French form whose deeper origin is uncertain but is generally associated with Germanic. English usage developed from its established sense of a fly larva to later figurative meanings involving loathing, contempt, and supposed foolishness.
Related word forms
How maggot is actually used
The figurative word for a person is strongly derogatory and belongs mainly to informal or deliberately insulting speech. The expression "have a maggot in one's head" is informal and means to hold an absurd idea.