The Collaborative International Dictionary
Bug \Bug\ (b[u^]g), n. [OE. bugge, fr. W. bwg, bwgan, hobgoblin, scarecrow, bugbear. Cf. Bogey, Boggle.]
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A bugbear; anything which terrifies. [Obs.]
Sir, spare your threats: The bug which you would fright me with I seek.
--Shak. (Zo["o]l.) A general name applied to various insects belonging to the Hemiptera; as, the squash bug; the chinch bug, etc.
(Zo["o]l.) An insect of the genus Cimex, especially the bedbug ( Cimex lectularius). See Bedbug.
(Zo["o]l.) One of various species of Coleoptera; as, the ladybug; potato bug, etc.; loosely, any beetle.
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(Zo["o]l.) One of certain kinds of Crustacea; as, the sow bug; pill bug; bait bug; salve bug, etc.
Note: According to popular usage in England and among housekeepers in America around 1900, bug, when not joined with some qualifying word, was used specifically for bedbug. As a general term it is now used very loosely in America as a colloquial term to mean any small crawling thing, such as an insect or arachnid, and was formerly used still more loosely in England. ``God's rare workmanship in the ant, the poorest bug that creeps.''
--Rogers (
--Naaman). ``This bug with gilded wings.''
--Pope. (Computers) An error in the coding of a computer program, especially one causing the program to malfunction or fail. See, for example, year 2000 bug. ``That's not a bug, it's a feature!''
Any unexpected defect or flaw, such as in a machine or a plan.
A hidden electronic listening device, used to hear or record conversations surreptitiously.
An infectious microorganism; a germ[4]. [Colloq.]
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An undiagnosed illness, usually mild, believed to be caused by an infectious organism. [Colloq.]
Note: In some communities in the 1990's, the incidence of AIDS is high and AIDS is referred to colloquially as ``the bug''.
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An enthusiast; -- used mostly in combination, as a camera bug. [Colloq.]
Bait bug. See under Bait.
Bug word, swaggering or threatening language. [Obs.]
--Beau. & Fl.