worm

noun

1. any of many slender, soft-bodied animals, some segmented, that live by burrowing underground, in water, or as parasites, including the annelids, nemerteans, nematodes, platyhelminths, acanthocephalans, and gordian worms
2. popularly
   1. an insect larva, as a caterpillar, grub, or maggot
   2. any of several mollusks, as the shipworms
   3. any of various wormlike animals, as a rotifer or a blindworm
   4. Obsolete a snake, or serpent
3. an abject, wretched, or contemptible person
4. something that gnaws or distresses one inwardly, suggesting a parasitic worm the worm of conscience
5. something thought of as being wormlike because of its spiral shape, etc.; specif.,
   1. the thread of a screw
   2. the coil of a still
   3. an Archimedean screw or similar apparatus
   4. a short, rotating screw that meshes with the teeth of a worm gear or a rack
6. Anat. any organ or part resembling a worm, as the vermiform process
7. Comput. an unauthorized, disruptive program, typically spread through communication lines, that creates copies of itself, thereby depleting a disk's or system's available memory
   cf. virus (sense )
8. Med. any disease or disorder caused by the presence of parasitic worms in the intestines, etc.
9. Zool. lytta

Etymology: ME < OE wyrm, serpent, dragon, akin to Ger wurm < IE base *wer-, to turn, bend > warp, L vermis, worm

intransitive verb

transitive verb

1. to bring about, make, etc. in a winding, creeping, or devious manner to worm one's way through a tunnel
2. to insinuate (oneself) into a situation, conversation, etc.
3. to extract (information, secrets, etc.) by insinuation, cajolery, or subtle questioning
4. to purge of intestinal worms
5. Naut. to wind yarn or small rope around (a rope or cable), filling the spaces between the strands
6. ☆ to rid (tobacco plants) of worms or grubs