English

spanworm

From span + worm.

A compound of span + worm

Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- ‘to stretch’

Proto-Germanic *spannō ‘span, handbreadth’

Old English spann

Middle English spanne ‘a span’

English span

Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis

Proto-Germanic *wurmiz

Proto-West Germanic *wurmi

Old English weorm

Middle English werm

English worm

Today it means

noun A measuring worm or inchworm (Lepidoptera, Geometridae)

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / spanworm