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Glite Dictionary
worm castle

worm castle

7.2
A container where worms turn kitchen scraps into soil for plants
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : vermicompostera
  • After a few months, the worm castle produced rich compost for our vegetable garden.

Examples

  • We set up a worm castle in the backyard to help recycle our kitchen scraps.

  • Do you know how to maintain a worm castle?

  • The children were fascinated by the different layers inside the worm castle.

  • I built a worm castle in my backyard.

  • After a few months, the worm castle produced rich compost for our vegetable garden.

  • We set up a worm castle in the backyard to help recycle our kitchen scraps.

  • The children were fascinated by the different layers inside the worm castle.

How Big

worm castle
  • UK
7.2
tray
311 1.0

Surface Forms

worm castle singular
worm castles plural

Morphology

worm + castle

Knowing 'worm' and 'castle' would likely lead a B1 learner to infer a location or dwelling for worms (animal + place compounding is common), so the basic idea of a place that houses worms is somewhat recoverable. However, the specific sense of a composting container and the metaphorical use of 'castle' for a small bin is not fully predictable without exposure, so the expression is only partly transparent.

Etymology

Worm castle paints a picture of worms living in stacked, box-like layers like a small castle. People call these boxes a worm castle because the worms eat kitchen scraps and make rich 'compost', so the name means 'a container for worms for making compost'.