1. The commercially bred hairless white caterpillar of the domestic silkworm moth which spins a cocoon that can be processed to yield silk fibre; the principal source of commercial silk
   "Silkworms fed on mulberry leaves in the silk farm"
    
2. Larva of a saturniid moth; spins a large amount of strong silk in constructing its cocoon
   "Giant silkworms are prized for their high-quality silk production"; "The tussar silkworm is a type of wild silkworm used in silk production";
   - giant silkworm, wild silkworm

Derived forms: silkworms

Type of: caterpillar

Part of: Bombyx, family Saturniidae, genus Bombyx, Saturniidae

Encyclopedia: Silkworm