vermicelli

From Italian vermicelli, the plural of vermicello, meaning 'little worm.' That word comes from verme ('worm'), from Latin vermis, plus the diminutive suffix -cello.

The name simply describes the shape of the pasta strands, which someone thought resembled tiny worms, and that description stuck as the name.

It shares its root with 'vermin,' both tracing back to the Latin vermis, or worm.