worm

plural worms · alternative obsolete worme

1. A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm.

   ‘Children crawled over each other like little grey worms in the gutters,’ he said. ‘The only red things about them were their buttocks and they were raw. Their faces looked as if snails had slimed on them and their mothers were like great sick beasts whose byres had never been cleared.[…]’

   1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 7, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

2. More loosely, any of various tubular invertebrates resembling annelids but not closely related to them, such as velvet worms, acorn worms, flatworms, or roundworms. See Appendix:English worms.

   Leaning that I might eat, I stretched and clung Over the shapeless depth in which those corpses hung. A woman’s shape, now lank and cold and blue, The dwelling of the many-coloured worm, Hung there […]

   1817 December, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “The Revolt of Islam. […]”, in [Mary] Shelley, editor, The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 216

3. archaicpoeticAny creeping or crawling animal, such as a snake (cf. “dragon”; blindworm, slowworm, “legless lizard”), snail, or caterpillar.

   […] No, ’tis slander, Whose edge is sharper than the sword, whose tongue Outvenoms all the worms of Nile […]

   1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]

   3 more examples

   A forlyued cok leiþ eiren in his laste elde... and ȝif any venemous worme sittiþ on broode þerevppon in þe canyculer dayes, þerof is igendrid... a cocatrice.

   a. 1398, John Trevisa, transl. Bartholomeus Anglicus as De Proprietatibus Rerum (MS BL Add. 27944), Vol. I, p. 628

   1561, Geneva Bible, Acts 28:3-4, And when Paul had gathered a nomber of stickes, & laid them on the fyre, there came a viper out of the heat, and leapt on his hand. Now when the Barbarians sawe the worme hang on his hand, they said among them selues This man surely is a murtherer, whome, thogh he hathe escaped the sea, yet Vengeance hathe not suffred to liue.

   When Cerberus perceived us, the great worm! His mouth he opened and displayed his tusks; Not a limb had he that was motionless.

   1867, Dante Alighieri, “The Divine Comedy”, in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, transl., Inferno, volume I, Boston: Ticknor & Fields, Canto 6, lines 22-24, p. 35

   1. archaicbroadlyinformalpoeticA maggot or any other insect larva with similar shape and behavior.

      Those little wriggling worms are the larvae of flies who laid eggs here.

4. archaicpoeticA dragon, today especially Germanic dragon, more often of the serpentine or wingless type, for example sea serpent, but also any kind of dragon.

   a. 1398, John Trevisa, transl. Bartholomeus Anglicus as De Proprietatibus Rerum (MS BL Add. 27944), Vol. I, p. 628:

   3 more examples

   In the Cross of Cong (A.D. 1123) the Celtic inter-laced patterns are found side by side with the "worm-dragon" ornament ..

   1922, A. Walsh, Scandinavian Relations with Ireland during the Viking Period

   Indeed the allusion to the more renowned worm killed by the Wælsing is sufficient indication that the poet selected a dragon of well-founded purpose[.]

   1936, J. R. R. Tolkien, Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, Norwood, Pa.: Norwood Editions, published 1976, page 9

   The after fifty years a foul worm, a dragon, took it upon itself to hold sway through the heavens at night.

   1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 39

   Synonyms: wyrm

   1. archaicpoeticfantasyEither a mythical "dragon" (especially wingless), a gigantic sea serpent, or a creature that resembles a Mongolian death worm.

      Synonyms: wyrm

5. A contemptible or devious being.

   Don't try to run away, you little worm!

   3 more examples

   But I am a worme, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 22:6

   Would he devote that Sacred Head For ſuch a Worm as I?

   1707, Isaac Watts, “Godly Sorrow ariſing from the Sufferings of Chriſt”, in Hymns and Spiritual Songs, London: J. Humfreys, page 86

   Lord, why is this, I trembling cry'd, Wilt thou purſue thy worm to death?

   1779, John Newton, “Prayer anſwered by croſſes”, in Olney hymns, in three books, London: W. Oliver, page 353

6. computingA self-replicating program that propagates through a network by copying itself, differing from a virus which seeks to propagate by inserting its code into other executable files.

   When Trevor opened his email, a worm spread to 100 people in his address book.

7. ball gamesA graphical representation of the total runs scored across a number of overs.
8. Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.

   If the Worms of the Nut or Spindle be worn, the Spindle must be examin'd by the Smith

   1683, Joseph Moxon, Mechanick exercises

   1. A spiral instrument or screw, often like a double corkscrew, used for drawing balls from firearms.
   2. The spiral wire of a corkscrew.
   3. anatomyA muscular band in the tongue of some animals, such as dogs; the lytta.
   4. The condensing tube of a still, often curved and wound to save space.
   5. A short revolving screw whose threads drive, or are driven by, a worm wheel or rack by gearing into its teeth.

      Holonyms: worm drive, worm and wheel

      Synonyms: worm screw

9. figurativelyAn internal tormentor; something that gnaws or afflicts one’s mind with remorse.

   The worm of conscience still begnaw thy soul!

   c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]

10. mathematicsA strip of linked tiles sharing parallel edges in a tiling.
11. anatomyThe lytta.
12. preceded by definite articleA dance, or dance move, in which the dancer lies on the floor and undulates the body horizontally.

present singular third person worms · participle present worming · participle past wormed · past wormed · alternative obsolete worme

1. transitiveTo make (one's way) with a crawling motion.

   We wormed our way through the underbrush.

   1 more example

   I took a firm grip of Josella's hand, and we started to worm our way along as unobviously as possible.

   1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, published 1954, page 80

2. intransitiveTo move with one's body dragging the ground.

   Inch by inch I wormed along the secret passageway, flat to the ground, not once raising my head, hardly daring to pull a full breath[…].

   1919, William Joseph Long, How animals talk: and other pleasant studies of birds and beast

3. figurativelyintransitiveTo work one's way by artful or devious means.

   When debates and fretting jealousy / Did worm and work within you more and more, / Your colour faded.

   [1633], George Herbert, edited by [Nicholas Ferrar], The Temple. Sacred Poems, and Private Ejaculations, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel; and are to be sold by Francis Green, […], →OCLC

4. figurativelytransitiveTo work (one's way or oneself) (into) gradually or slowly; to insinuate.

   He wormed his way into the organization.

   1 more example

   With “facts” generated by Wikipedia worming themselves into every corner of our digital lives, such as your Alexa speaker or iPhone, perhaps it’s the ubiquity of information that’s the problem – and something that should concern us all.

   2021 May 27, Andrew Orlowski, “You think the BBC is biased? Check out Wokepedia”, in The Telegraph

5. oftenTo effect, remove, drive, draw, or the like, by slow and secret means.

   They […]find themselves wormed out of all power.

   1731, Jonathan Swift, The Presbyterians Plea of Merit

6. figurativelytransitiveTo drag out of, to get information that someone is reluctant or unwilling to give (through artful or devious means or by pleading or asking repeatedly).

   They[…]wormed things out of me that I had no desire to tell.

   1849 May – 1850 November, Charles Dickens, chapter 17, in The Personal History of David Copperfield, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLC

   1 more example

   He nodded. "Mum's the word, Mrs. Bunting! It'll all be in the last editions of the evening newspapers—it can't be kep' out. There'd be too much of a row if twas!" "Are you going off to that public-house now?" she asked. "I've got a awk'ard job—to try and worm something out of the barmaid."

   1913, Mrs. [Marie] Belloc Lowndes, chapter XXII, in The Lodger, London: Methuen, →OCLC; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The Story of Ivy; What Really Happened, New York, N.Y.: Longmans, Green and Co., […], [1933], →OCLC, page 1738

7. transitivenauticalTo fill in the contlines of (a rope) before parcelling and serving.

   Worm and parcel with the lay; turn and serve the other way.

   1 more example

   Ropes[…]are generally wormed before they are served.

   1841, Benjamin J. Totten, Naval Text-Book

8. transitiveTo deworm (an animal).
9. transitiveTo cut the worm, or lytta, from under the tongue of (a dog, etc.) for the purpose of checking a disposition to gnaw, and formerly supposed to guard against canine madness.

   The men[…] assisted the laird in his sporting parties, wormed his dogs, and cut the ears of his terrier puppies.

   1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC

10. transitiveTo clean by means of a worm; to draw a wad or cartridge from, as a firearm.

plural WORMs

1. abbreviationinitialismcomputer hardwareInitialism of write once, read many.

plural Worms

1. A surname.