Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bug” come from?

Bug comes from Middle English bugge, from Proto-Germanic bugja-, of unknown origin.

bug (English): An insect of the order Hemiptera; Any of various...

Definitions

  1. An insect of the order Hemiptera; Any of various...

Ancestry of “bug”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishbuggebeetle
2Middle Englishbuggebogy, hobgoblin, bugbear; scarecrow
3Proto-Germanicbugja-swollen up, thick
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰew-to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...

Words derived from “bug”

  • debug
  • debugger
  • bugbear
  • ladybug
  • jitterbug
  • bedbug
  • booger
  • firebug
  • bughouse
  • superbug
  • doodlebug
  • greenbug
  • stinkbug
  • shutterbug
  • buglike
  • tumblebug
  • litterbug
  • spittlebug
  • bugbane
  • debuggable
  • lovebug
  • bugfree
  • bugproof
  • debuggability
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰew- →