Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Worm
Worm
(wûrm)
, Noun.
[OE.
worm
, wurm
, AS. wyrm
; akin to D. worm
, OS. & G. wurm
, Icel. ormr
, Sw. & Dan. orm
, Goth. waúrms
, L. vermis
, Gr. [GREEK] a wood worm. Cf. Vermicelli
, Vermilion
, Vermin
.] 1.
A creeping or a crawling animal of any kind or size, as a serpent, caterpillar, snail, or the like.
[Archaic]
There came a viper out of the heat, and leapt on his hand. When the men of the country saw the
worm
hang on his hand, they said, This man must needs be a murderer. Tyndale (Acts xxviii. 3, 4).
’T is slander,
Whose edge is sharper than the sword, whose tongue
Outvenoms all the
Whose edge is sharper than the sword, whose tongue
Outvenoms all the
worms
of Nile. Shakespeare
When Cerberus perceived us, the great
His mouth he opened and displayed his tusks.
worm
,His mouth he opened and displayed his tusks.
Longfellow.
2.
Any small creeping animal or reptile, either entirely without feet, or with very short ones, including a great variety of animals;
Specifically: as, an earth
worm
; the blindworm
. (Zool.)
(a)
Any helminth; an entozoon.
(b)
Any annelid.
(c)
An insect larva.
(d)
pl.
Same as
Vermes
. 3.
An internal tormentor; something that gnaws or afflicts one's mind with remorse.
The
worm
of conscience still begnaw thy soul! Shakespeare
4.
A being debased and despised.
I am a
worm
, and no man. Ps. xxii. 6.
5.
Anything spiral, vermiculated, or resembling a worm
; as: (a)
The thread of a screw.
The threads of screws, when bigger than can be made in screw plates, are called
worms
. Moxon.
(b)
A spiral instrument or screw, often like a double corkscrew, used for drawing balls from firearms.
(c)
(Anat.)
A certain muscular band in the tongue of some animals, as the dog; the lytta. See
Lytta
. (d)
The condensing tube of a still, often curved and wound to economize space. See Illust. of
Still
. (e)
(Mach.)
A short revolving screw, the threads of which drive, or are driven by, a worm wheel by gearing into its teeth or cogs. See Illust. of
Worm gearing
, below. Worm abscess
(Med.)
, an abscess produced by the irritation resulting from the lodgment of a worm in some part of the body.
– Worm fence
. See under
– Fence
. Worm gear
. (Mach.)
(a)
A worm wheel.
(b)
Worm gearing.
– Worm gearing
, gearing consisting of a worm and worm wheel working together.
– Worm grass
. (Bot.)
(a)
See
Pinkroot
, 2 (a)
. (b)
The white stonecrop (
Sedum album
) reputed to have qualities as a vermifuge. Dr. Prior.
– Worm oil
(Med.)
, an anthelmintic consisting of oil obtained from the seeds of
– Chenopodium anthelminticum
. Worm powder
(Med.)
, an anthelmintic powder.
– Worm snake
. (Zool.)
– Worm tea
(Med.)
, an anthelmintic tea or tisane.
– Worm tincture
(Med.)
, a tincture prepared from dried earthworms, oil of tartar, spirit of wine, etc.
[Obs.]
– Worm wheel
, a cogwheel having teeth formed to fit into the spiral spaces of a screw called a worm, so that the wheel may be turned by, or may turn, the worm; – called also
worm gear
, and sometimes tangent wheel
. See Illust. of Worm gearing
, above.Worm
,Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Wormed
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Worming
.] To work slowly, gradually, and secretly.
When debates and fretting jealousy
Did
Your color faded.
Did
worm
and work within you more and more,Your color faded.
Herbert.
Worm
,Verb.
T.
1.
To effect, remove, drive, draw, or the like, by slow and secret means; – often followed by out.
They find themselves
wormed
out of all power. Swift.
They . . .
wormed
things out of me that I had no desire to tell. Dickens.
2.
3.
To cut the worm, or lytta, from under the tongue of, as a dog, for the purpose of checking a disposition to gnaw. The operation was 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. Sir W. Scott.
4.
(Naut.)
To wind rope, yarn, or other material, spirally round, between the strands of, as a cable; to wind with spun yarn, as a small rope.
Ropes . . . are generally
wormed
before they are served. Totten.
To worm one's self into
, to enter into gradually by arts and insinuations; as, to worm one's self into favor.
Webster 1828 Edition
Worm
WORM
,Noun.
1.
In common usage, any small creeping animal, or reptile, either entirely without feet, or with very short ones, including a great variety of animals of different classes and orders, viz. Certain small serpents, as the blind-worm or slow-worm; the larvas of insects, viz. Grubs, caterpillars and maggots, as the wood-worm, canker-worm, silk-worm, (the larva of a moth (Phaloena,) which spins the filaments of which silk is made,) the grub that injures corn, grass, &c., the worms that breed in putrid flesh, the bots in the stomach of horses, and many others; certain wingless insects, as the glow-worm; the intestinal worms, or such as breed in the cavities and organs of living animals, as the tape-worm, the round-worm, the fluke, &c.; and numerous animals found in the earth, and in water, particularly in the sea, as the earth-worm or lumbricus, the hair-worm or gordius, the teredo, or worm that bores in to the bottom of ships, &c. Worms, in the plural, in common usage, is used for intestinal worms, or those which breed in the stomach and bowels, particularly the round and thread worms, (lumbrici and ascarides,) which are often found there in great numbers; as we say, a child has worms.2.
In zoology, the term Vermes or worms has been applied to different divisions of invertebral animals, by different naturalists. Linnes class of vermes, includes the following orders, viz. Intestina, including the proper intestinal worms the earth-worm, the hair-worm, the teredo, and some other marine worms; Mollusca, including the slug, and numerous soft animals inhabiting the water, particularly the sea; Testacea, including all the proper shell-fish; Zoophyta or compound animals, including corals, polypes, and spunges; and Infusoria, or simple microscopic animlacules. His character of the class is, --spiracles obscure, jaws various, organs of sense usually tentacula, no brain, ears nor nostrils, limbs wanting, frequently hermaphrodite. This class includes all the invertebral animals, except the insects and crustacea. The term Vermes has been since greatly limited, particularly by the French naturalists. Lamarch confined it to the intestinal worms, and some others, whose organization is equally imperfect. The character of his class is, suboviparous, body soft, highly reproductive, undergo no metamorphosis; no eyes, nor articulated limbs, nor radiated disposition of internal organs.3.
Remorse; that which incessantly gnaws the conscience; that which torments.Where their worm dieth not. Mark 9.
4.
A being debased and despised.I am a worm, and no man. Psalm 22.
5.
A spiral instrument or iron screw, used for drawing wads and cartridges from cannon or small arms.6.
Something spiral, vermiculated, or resembling a worm; as the threads of a screw.7.
In chemistry and distilleries, a spiral leaden pipe placed in a tub of water, through which the vapor passes in distillation, and in which it is cooled and condensed. It is called also a serpentine.8.
A small worm-like ligament situated beneath a dogs tongue.WORM
,Verb.
I.
When debates and fretting jealousy did worm and work within you more and more, your color faded.
WORM
,Verb.
T.
1.
To expel or undermine by slow and secret means.They find themselves wormed out of all power.
2.
To cut something, called a worm, from under the tongue of a dog.3.
To draw the wad or cartridge from a gun; to clean by the worm.4.
To wind a rope spirally round a cable, between the strands; or to wind a smaller rope with spun yarn.To worm ones self into, to enter gradually by arts and insinuations; as to worm ones self into favor.