bug

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

bug, n. [OE. bugge, fr. W. bwg, bwgan, hobgoblin, scarecrow, bugbear. Cf. Bogey, Boggle.].

•  A bugbear; anything which terrifies.  [1913 Webster]

  "Sir, spare your threats:
  The bug which you would fright me with I seek."  [1913 Webster]
•  A general name applied to various insects belonging to the Hemiptera; as, the squash bug; the chinch bug, etc.  [1913 Webster]
•  An insect of the genus Cimex, especially the bedbug (Cimex lectularius). See Bedbug.  [1913 Webster]
•  One of various species of Coleoptera; as, the ladybug; potato bug, etc.; loosely, any beetle.  [1913 Webster]
•  One of certain kinds of Crustacea; as, the sow bug; pill bug; bait bug; salve bug, etc.  [1913 Webster]

  " 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."  [1913 Webster]
•  An error in the coding of a computer program, especially one causing the program to malfunction or fail. See, for example, year 2000 bug.  [PJC]
•  Any unexpected defect or flaw, such as in a machine or a plan.  [PJC]
•  A hidden electronic listening device, used to hear or record conversations surreptitiously.  [PJC]
•  An infectious microorganism; a germ{4}.  [PJC]
•  An undiagnosed illness, usually mild, believed to be caused by an infectious organism.

  "In some communities in the 1990's, the incidence of AIDS is high and AIDS is referred to colloquially as “the bug”."  [PJC]
•  An enthusiast; -- used mostly in combination, as a camera bug.  [PJC]

Bait bug. See under Bait. -- Bug word, swaggering or threatening language. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

bug, v. t. 

 to annoy; to bother or pester.  [PJC]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

bug, n. & v.
--n.
1 a any of various hemipterous insects with oval flattened bodies and mouthparts modified for piercing and sucking. b US any small insect.
2 sl. a micro-organism, esp. a bacterium, or a disease caused by it.
3 a concealed microphone.
4 sl. an error in a computer program or system etc.
5 sl. an obsession, enthusiasm, etc.
--v. (bugged, bugging)
1 tr. sl. conceal a microphone in (esp. a building or room).
2 tr. sl. annoy, bother.
3 intr. (often foll. by out) US sl. leave quickly.

Idiom

bug-eyed with bulging eyes.

Etymology

17th c.: orig. unkn.

THESAURUS

bug

ALGOL, COBOL, FORTRAN, Mumbo Jumbo, abrade, addict, addle, addle the wits, adenovirus, aerobe, aerobic bacteria, aficionado, aggravate, agitate, alphabetic data, alphanumeric code, amoeba, anaerobe, anaerobic bacteria, angular data, annoy, apply pressure, arachnid, arthropod, assembler, attend, attend to, auscultate, bacillus, bacteria, bacterium, badger, bag, bait, ball up, balloon, be all ears, be at, becloud, bedazzle, bedevil, beetle, befuddle, belly, belly out, bend an ear, beset, besiege, bewilder, bigot, bilge, billow, binary digit, binary scale, binary system, bit, blandish, blemish, bogey, bogeyman, boggart, bogle, booger, boogerman, boogeyman, bother, bouge, bristle, brown off, buff, bugaboo, bugbear, bugger, bulge, bullyrag, burn up, buttonhole, byte, cajole, carp at, case, catch, caterpillar, centipede, chafe, chilopod, chivy, cloud, coax, coccus, cock the ears, collector, command pulses, commands, compiler, computer code, computer language, computer program, confuse, control signals, controlled quantity, convulse, correcting signals, crack, crank, craze, crazy fancy, daddy longlegs, data, daze, dazzle, defect, defection, deficiency, demon, devil, devotee, dilate, diplopod, discombobulate, discomfit, discompose, disconcert, disease-producing microorganism, disorganize, disorient, distemper, distend, distract, disturb, dog, drawback, dun, eager beaver, eavesdrop, echovirus, embarrass, embroil, energumen, entangle, enterovirus, enthusiasm, enthusiast, error, error signals, examine by ear, exasperate, exercise, exert pressure, faddist, failing, failure, fan, fanatic, fanatico, fascination, fash, fault, faute, fee-faw-fum, feedback pulses, feedback signals, fiend, film data, filterable virus, flaw, flummox, flurry, fluster, flutter, fly, fog, foible, frailty, freak, fret, fret at, fuddle, fungus, furor, furore, fuss, fuss at, gall, germ, get, give attention, give audience to, give ear, goggle, gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria, great one for, gripe, harass, hark, harry, harvestman, hassle, hear, hear out, hearken, heckle, hector, heed, henpeck, hexadecimal system, hexapod, hobbyist, hole, hound, imperfection, importune, inadequacy, infatuate, infatuation, infirmity, information, input data, input quantity, insect, instructions, intercept, irk, kink, larva, lend an ear, listen, listen at, listen in, listen to, little problem, lunatic fringe, machine language, maggot, make a reconnaissance, mania, maniac, manic-depressive psychosis, maze, message, microbe, microorganism, microphone, miff, mike, millepede, millipede, mist, mite, mix up, moider, mold, molest, monomaniac, muddle, multiple messages, nag, nag at, needle, nettle, nibble at, noise, nonfilterable virus, nudzh, numeric data, nut, nymph, octal system, oscillograph data, output data, output quantity, passion, pathogen, peck at, peep, peeve, perplex, persecute, perturb, pester, pick at, pick on, picornavirus, pique, plague, play, play the spy, pluck the beard, ply, polar data, pooch, pop, pother, pouch, pout, press, pressure, problem, protozoa, protozoon, provoke, psych, punch-card data, pursuer, push, put out, put under surveillance, radiomicrophone, rage, raise hell, random data, rattle, reconnoiter, rectangular data, reference quantity, reovirus, rhapsodist, rhinovirus, rickettsia, ride, rift, rile, roil, round out, ruffle, ruly English, scorpion, scout, scout out, shortcoming, signals, single messages, sit in on, snag, something missing, spider, spirillum, spirochete, spook, spore, spy, spy out, stake out, staphylococcus, streptococcus, sucker for, swell, swell out, taint, tap, tarantula, tease, throw, throw into confusion, tick, torment, trouble, try the patience, trypanosome, tweak the nose, unorganized data, unsettle, upset, urge, vex, vibrio, virus, visible-speech data, visionary, vulnerable place, watch, weak link, weak point, weakness, wheedle, wiretap, work on, worry, yap at, zealot

ROGET THESAURUS

bug

Uncleanness

N uncleanness, impurity, immundity, immundicity, impurity, defilement, contamination, defoedation, soilure, soiliness, abomination, leaven, taint, tainture, fetor, decay, putrescence, putrefaction, corruption, mold, must, mildew, dry rot, mucor, rubigo, slovenry, slovenliness, squalor, dowdy, drab, slut, malkin, slattern, sloven, slammerkin, slammock, slummock, scrub, draggle-tail, mudlark, dust-man, sweep, beast, dirt, filth, soil, slop, dust, cobweb, flue, smoke, soot, smudge, smut, grit, grime, raff, sossle, sozzle, sordes, dregs, grounds, lees, argol, sediment, settlement heeltap, dross, drossiness, mother, precipitate, scoriae, ashes, cinders, recrement, slag, scum, froth, hogwash, ditchwater, dishwater, bilgewater, rinsings, cheeseparings, sweepings, offscourings, outscourings, off scum, caput mortuum, residuum, sprue, fecula, clinker, draff, scurf, scurfiness, exuviae, morphea, fur, furfur, dandruff, tartar, riffraff, vermin, louse, flea, bug, chinch, mud, mire, quagmire, alluvium, silt, sludge, slime, slush, slosh, sposh, spawn, offal, gurry, lientery, garbage, carrion, excreta, slough, peccant humor, pus, matter, suppuration, lienteria, faeces, feces, excrement, ordure, dung, crap, shit, sewage, sewerage, muck, coprolite, guano, manure, compost, dunghill, colluvies, mixen, midden, bog, laystall, sink, privy, jakes, toilet, john, head, cess, cesspool, sump, sough, cloaca, latrines, drain, sewer, common sewer, Cloacina, dust hole, sty, pigsty, lair, den, Augean stable, sink of corruption, slum, rookery, dirty, filthy, grimy, unclean, impure, soiled, not to be handled with kid gloves, dusty, snuffy, smutty, sooty, smoky, thick, turbid, dreggy, slimy, mussy, slovenly, untidy, messy, uncleanly, unkempt, sluttish, dowdy, draggle-tailed, uncombed, unscoured, unswept, unwiped, unwashed, unstrained, unpurified, squalid, lutose, slammocky, slummocky, sozzly, nasty, coarse, foul, offensive, abominable, beastly, reeky, reechy, fetid, decayed, moldy, musty, mildewed, rusty, moth-eaten, mucid, rancid, weak, bad, gone bad, etercoral, lentiginous, touched, fusty, effete, reasty, rotten, corrupt, tainted, high, flyblown, maggoty, putrid, putrefactive, putrescent, putrefied, saprogenic, saprogenous, purulent, carious, peccant, fecal, feculent, stercoraceous, excrementitious, scurfy, scurvy, impetiginous, gory, bloody, rotting, rotten as a pear, rotten as cheese, crapulous, gross, fimetarious, fimicolous, they that touch pitch will be defiled.

Sibilation

N sibilance, sibilation, zip, hiss, sternutation, high note, goose, serpent, snake (animal sounds), insect, bug, bee, mosquito, wasp, fly, tea kettle, pressure cooker, air valve, pressure release valve, safety valve, tires, air escaping from tires, punctured tire, escaping steam, steam, steam radiator, steam release valve, sibilant, hissing, wheezy, sternutative.