silkworm

noun

1. Any of various caterpillars of moths that produce silk cocoons, especially Bombyx mori, the source of most commercial silk.

   “Each of the two breeding periods, one in spring and one in summer, requires 2 to 3 tons of fresh leaves to feed 80,000 silkworms that will produce, on average, 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of silk fiber.”