Home › Words › C › cutwormcutwormcutworm means the larva of any of the many moths of the family Noctuidae, considered an agricultural pest.EtymologyFrom cut + worm, from the habit of eating through the stem of plants, or possibly from cutty (“short”).nounThe larva of any of the many moths of the family Noctuidae, considered an agricultural pest.e.g.“I listened while they discussed putting stove ash at the base of tomato plants to keep off cutworms or Mama bragged on how fast I was learning to read.” — 2013, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, 1st edition, Milkweed Editions, →ISBN, page 74:Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.armyworm 75% match — The larva of any of the genera Spodoptera and Mythimna of noctuid moths, which typically feed in large, destructive groups on food crops and grasses. vs cutworm →fireworm 73% match — The larva of any of several tortricid moths (family Tortricidae). vs cutworm →beetworm 70% match — A larva of a moth of species Spodoptera exigua, an armyworm which is a destructive agricultural pest vs cutworm →bollworm 68% match — The larvae of any of various species of moth that are pests to cotton. vs cutworm →fruitworm 66% match — The larva of any of several moths; they are responsible for damage to many types of fruit crop. vs cutworm →cankerworm 66% match — Either of two caterpillars, the larvae of geometrid moths, that are destructive to fruit, buds and leaves. vs cutworm →budworm 65% match — Any of various moth caterpillars. vs cutworm →dropworm 64% match — The larva of any geometrid moth, such as the cankerworm, which drops from trees by means of a thread of silk. vs cutworm →