English
gnatworm
From gnat + worm.
Proto-Indo-European *gʰen- ‘to gnaw’
…
Proto-Germanic *gnattaz ‘a biting insect’
Proto-West Germanic *gnatt ‘gnat, mosquito’
Old English gnætt
Middle English gnat ‘a gnat or similar insect’
English gnat
Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis
Proto-Germanic *wurmiz
Proto-West Germanic *wurmi
Old English weorm
Middle English werm
English worm
Today it means
noun The aquatic larva of a gnat.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / gnatworm