WORM


Meaning of WORM in English

I. ˈwərm, ˈwə̄m, ˈwəim noun

( -s )

Usage: often attributive

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wyrm serpent, dragon, worm; akin to Old High German wurm serpent, dragon, worm, Old Norse ormr, Gothic waurms serpent, Latin vermis worm, Greek rhomos woodworm

1.

a. : earthworm ; broadly : an annelid worm

b. : any of numerous relatively small more or less elongated usually naked and soft-bodied animals resembling an earthworm: as

(1) : a member of the old group Vermes

(2) : an insect larva ; especially : one that is a destructive grub, caterpillar, or maggot

(3) : shipworm

(4) : blindworm

2.

a. : a human being resembling a worm or reptile as an object of contempt, loathing, or pity : wretch

made me feel a worm for my ignorance — H.J.Laski

who, like the worms they are, hide under the rock of the Fifth Amendment — Phoenix Flame

b. : something that inwardly torments or devours in a manner suggestive of the gnawing, boring, or working of a worm

the worm of care … gives her no rest — Padraic Fallon

the worm of conscience gnaws incessantly

c. obsolete : an impulse, perversity, or marked irrationality of mind

3. archaic : snake , serpent , dragon

4.

a. : a disorder caused by the presence of parasitic worms in the body and especially in the intestines : helminthiasis — usually used in plural

b. Scotland : toothache

5.

a. : lytta

b. : vermis

6. : something (as a mechanical device) spiral or vermiculate in form or appearance: as

a. : a double corkscrew on the end of a rammer for extracting a wad or ball from a muzzle-loading gun

b. : the thread of a screw

c. : a short revolving screw whose threads gear with the teeth of a worm wheel or a rack — compare worm thread

d.

(1) : a tube or pipe twisted into coils ; also : a system of such coiled tube or pipe

(2) : a spiral condensing tube used in distilling

e.

(1) : archimedes' screw

(2) : a conveyor working on the principle of such a screw

7. : something resembling or suggestive of an earthworm

far away … a miniature worm of train rolled tinily along the embankment — Bruce Marshall

in some line regiments a black worm in the gold lace … denotes a perpetual mourning for some famous general — New York Times

II. verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

intransitive verb

1. : to hunt or dig for worms

birds and children are worming on the lawn after the rain

2.

a. : to move, go, or proceed sinuously in or as if in the manner of a worm

wormed through the snow and peered over a snow-covered rock beside the roadway — F.V.W.Mason

we wormed into the … office — Vincent McHugh

the preposterous irrelevancy which wormed through his mind — Marcia Davenport

b.

(1) : to proceed or make one's way insidiously or deviously often with harmful intent or effect — usually used with into

spies into important positions

plans to worm into his teacher's favor

they have wormed into the government and the labor movement — Newsweek

(2) : to evade or escape in indirect or subtle fashion : wriggle — usually used with out of

hopes to worm out of his difficulties

will do wrong and then try to worm out of his punishment if he can

3. : to lay a small line or yarn in the interstices between the strands of a larger rope in order to make an even surface before parceling and serving

4. : to fish with worm as bait

transitive verb

1. : to cut the lytta from under the tongue of (a dog) to prevent madness

2. : to make a screw thread on

machine that worms screws

3. : to cause to be eaten by worms

a wormed tree stump

finds that his winter suit had been badly wormed

the old beams are firm and have not been wormed

4. : to remove or clear out worms from

the dog has been wormed

5.

a. : to cause to move or proceed in or as if in the manner of a worm

solid rock into which the drill had wormed its long tongue — Thomas Wood †1950

worm his big brown hand into his trousers pocket — J.N.Hall

the queue wormed itself on a little — Jan Struther

wormed the strip deep into the American public consciousness — Coulton Waugh

b. : to insinuate or introduce (oneself) by devious or subtle means — usually used with into

seeks to worm himself into a commanding position

the group is worming itself into public favor

6. : to wind rope or yarn spirally round and between the strands of (as a cable) before serving

worm rope

7.

a. : to obtain or extract by artful or insidious questioning

determined not to let them worm the secret from him

— usually used with out of

wormed this information out of the prisoner — Shirley Thomas

had wormed out of them what they had been doing — Oscar Wilde

b. : to procure or acquire by pleading, asking, or persuading

is trying to worm a pension from the government

— usually used with out of

is expected in time to worm all the money out of him

is worming permission out of his parent

8. : to clean or draw a wad or cartridge from (a muzzle-loading firearm) with a wormer

III. noun

: a usually small self-contained computer program that invades computers on a network and usually performs a malicious action (as taking control of a computer's processor)

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.