Link Centre Dictionary

worm

UK/wɜːm/ US/wɝm/ fairly common informal
noun (4) verb (1)

noun

1.

any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae

2.
3.

a software program capable of reproducing itself that can spread from one computer to the next over a network

  • “worms take advantage of automatic file sending and receiving features found on many computers”
4.

screw thread on a gear with the teeth of a worm wheel or rack

verb

1.

to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)

  • “The prisoner writhed in discomfort”
  • “The child tried to wriggle free from his aunt”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English werm, wirm, worm, worme, wrim, wurm, wyrm, wyrme, from Old English weorm, wurm, wyrm, from Proto-West Germanic *wurmi, from Proto-Germanic *wurmiz (“worm; snake”), from Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis (“worm; larva”), possibly from *wer- (“to turn”).

Phrases

  • Trojan horse

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.