Main Entry:

screw·worm

Pronunciation:

\ˈskrü-ˌwərm\

Function:

noun

Date:

1879

1: a blowfly (Cochliomyia hominivorax) of the warmer parts of America whose larva develops in sores or wounds or in the nostrils of mammals including humans with serious or sometimes fatal results ; especially : its larva2: any of several flies other than the screwworm and especially their larvae which parasitize the flesh of mammals