English Explanatory Dictionary

stoor worm

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A giant sea serpent or sea dragon in Orcadian folklore, which had putrid breath, probably an Orkney version of Jörmungandr.
noun
  1. Alternative letter-case form of stoor worm.

Word forms

stoor worm stoor worms stoorworm

Etymology

The first element may be stoor, stour (“large, stout”) (cognate to Old Norse stórr), or it may be from Old Norse Storðar-gandr (literally “world-monster”), an alternative name for Jörmungandr, from poetic use of storð to mean "earth", whence storðar men, "earth's necklace", i.e. "sea" (storð more often meant "wood" and storðar-gandr more often meant "wood's bane" i.e. "fire"). The second element is worm (“sea-dragon”).

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