What does "wheal-worm" mean?

Any of various insects or arachnids the bites of which produce raised sores.

What is a synonym for "wheal-worm"?

Common synonyms include: chigger, harvest bug, harvest mite, red bug, scarlet mite.

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
Any of various insects or arachnids the bites of which produce raised sores. archaic
"It may be ſome will think it impoſſible for theſe Wheal-worms to breed between the eyes; but we ſee it is ſo, and we finde it was done ſo formerly"
2
A harvest mite, Trombicula sp. archaic
"wheal-worm, n 1. The itch-mite acarus scabiei 2. The acarine Leptus autumnalis, or some similar harvest-bug: so named from the wheals or pimples left by its bite. See cut under harvest-mite."
3
A mite of species Acarus autumnalis (ppsynonym]] of Neotrombicula autumnalis obsolete
"ACARUS AUTUMNALIS. Harvest-bug. Mower's Mite. Wheal-worm. Rouget. The acarus autumnalis is scarcely larger than the acarus scabiei"

"It may be ſome will think it impoſſible for theſe Wheal-worms to breed between the eyes; but we ſee it is ſo, and we finde it was done ſo formerly"

Compound of wheal + worm, after the pustule or wheal resulting from a bite.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.