| worm | |
| 1. subst. A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm. | |
| 2. subst. More loosely, any of various tubular invertebrates resembling annelids but not closely related to them, such as velvet worms, acorn worms, flatworms, or roundworms. | |
| 3. subst. (archaic) A type of wingless "dragon", especially a gigantic sea serpent.Sea serpent at Wikipedia | |
| 4. subst. (fantasy, science fiction) Either a mythical "dragon" (especially wingless),Dragon (Middle-earth) at Wikipedia a gigantic sea serpent, or a creature that resembles a Mongolian death worm.Sandworm (Dun | |
| 5. subst. A contemptible or devious being. | |
| Don't try to run away, you little worm! | |
| 6. subst. (computing) A self-replicating program that propagates through a network. | |
| 7. subst. (cricket) A graphical representation of the total runs scored in an innings. | |
| 8. subst. Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw. | |
| 9. subst. A spiral instrument or screw, often like a double corkscrew, used for drawing balls from firearms. | |
| 10. subst. The spiral wire of a corkscrew. | |
| 11. subst. (anatomy) A muscular band in the tongue of some animals, such as dogs; the lytta. | |
| 12. subst. The condensing tube of a still, often curved and wound to save space. | |
| 13. subst. A short revolving screw whose threads drive, or are driven by, a worm wheel or rack by gearing into its teeth. | |
| 14. subst. (obsolete) Any creeping or crawling animal, such as a snake, snail, or caterpillar. | |
| 15. subst. (figuratively) An internal tormentor; something that gnaws or afflicts one’s mind with remorse. | |
| 16. subst. (math) A strip of linked tiles sharing parallel edges in a tiling. | |
| 17. subst. (anatomy) The lytta. | |
| 18. v. To make (one's way) with a crawling motion. | |
| We wormed our way through the underbrush. | |
| 19. v. (intransitive) To move with one's body dragging the ground. | |
| 20. v. (intransitive, figuratively) To work one's way by artful or devious means. | |
| 21. v. (transitive, figuratively) To work (one's way or oneself) (into) gradually or slowly; to insinuate. | |
| He wormed his way into the organization | |
| 22. v. To effect, remove, drive, draw, or the like, by slow and secret means; often followed by out. | |
| 23. v. (transitive figuratively, in “worm out of”) To 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). | |
| 24. v. (transitive, nautical) To fill in the contlines of (a rope) before parcelling and serving. | |
| Worm and parcel with the lay; turn and serve the other way. | |
| 25. v. To deworm (an animal). | |
| 26. v. To 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. | |
| 27. v. To clean by means of a worm; to draw a wad or cartridge from, as a firearm. | |
