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Definitions for Wormlike

[1] Zoology . any of numerous long, slender, soft-bodied, legless, bilaterally symmetrical invertebrates, including the flatworms, roundworms, acanthocephalans, nemerteans, gordiaceans, and annelids.
[2] (loosely) any of numerous small creeping animals with more or less slender, elongated bodies, and without limbs or with very short ones, including individuals of widely differing kinds, as earthworms, tapeworms, insect larvae, and adult forms of some insects.
[3] something resembling or suggesting a worm in appearance, movement, etc.
[4] Informal . a groveling, abject, or contemptible person.
[5] the spiral pipe in which the vapor is condensed in a still.
[6] (not in technical use) screw thread(def 1) .
[7] screw conveyor.
[8] Also called worm screw . a rotating cylinder or shaft, cut with one or more helical threads, that engages with and drives a worm wheel.
[9] something that penetrates, injures, or consumes slowly or insidiously, like a gnawing worm.
[10] worms, (used with a singular verb ) Pathology , Veterinary Pathology . any disease or disorder arising from the presence of parasitic worms in the intestines or other tissues; helminthiasis.
[11] (used with a plural verb ) Metallurgy . irregularities visible on the surfaces of some metals subject to plastic deformation.
[12] the lytta of a dog or other carnivorous animal.
[13] computer code planted illegally in a software program so as to destroy data in any system that downloads the program, as by reformatting the hard disk.
[14] to move or act like a worm; creep, crawl, or advance slowly or stealthily.
[15] to achieve something by insidious procedure (usually followed by into ): to worm into another's favor.
[16] Metallurgy . craze(def 8a) .
[17] to cause to move or advance in a devious or stealthy manner: The thief wormed his hand into my coat pocket.
[18] to get by persistent, insidious efforts (usually followed by out or from ): to worm a secret out of a person.
[19] to insinuate (oneself or one's way) into another's favor, confidence, etc.: to worm his way into the king's favor.
[20] to free from worms: He wormed the puppies.
[21] Nautical . to wind yarn or the like spirally round (a rope) so as to fill the spaces between the strands and render the surface smooth.
[22] any of various invertebrates, esp the annelids (earthworms, etc), nematodes (roundworms), and flatworms, having a slender elongated body Related adjective: vermicular
[23] any of various insect larvae having an elongated body, such as the silkworm and wireworm
[24] any of various unrelated animals that resemble annelids, nematodes, etc, such as the glow-worm and shipworm
[25] a gnawing or insinuating force or agent that torments or slowly eats away
[26] a wretched or spineless person
[27] anything that resembles a worm in appearance or movement
[28] a shaft on which a helical groove has been cut, as in a gear arrangement in which such a shaft meshes with a toothed wheel
[29] a spiral pipe cooled by air or flowing water, used as a condenser in a still
[30] a nontechnical name for lytta
[31] anatomy any wormlike organ, structure, or part, such as the middle lobe of the cerebellum (vermis cerebelli ) Technical name: vermis
[32] computing a program that duplicates itself many times in a network and prevents its destruction. It often carries a logic bomb or virus
[33] to move, act, or cause to move or act with the slow sinuous movement of a worm
[34] (foll by in, into, out of, etc ) to make (one's way) slowly and stealthily; insinuate (oneself)
[35] (tr; often foll by out of or from) to extract (information, a secret, etc) from by persistent questioning
[36] (tr) to free from or purge of worms
[37] (tr) nautical to wind yarn around (a rope) so as to fill the spaces between the strands and render the surface smooth for parcelling and serving
[38] write once read many times: an optical disk that enables users to store data but not change it

Words related to Wormlike

wormsinuous, twisted, cowardly, servile, submissive

Words nearby Wormlike

wormworldling, worldly, worldly-minded, worldly-wise, worldwide, worm, worm conveyor, worm drive, worm fence, worm gear, worm grass

Origin of Wormlike

before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English wyrm, dragon, serpent, worm; cognate with Dutch worm, German Wurm, Old Norse ormr; akin to Latin vermis

Other words from Wormlike

worm·er , noun
worm·like , worm·ish , adjective

Word origin for Wormlike

Old English wyrm; related to Old Frisian wirm, Old High German wurm, Old Norse ormr, Gothic waurms, Latin vermis, Greek romos woodworm

Synonyms for Wormlike

sinuous, twisted