worm Hear it!

worm Definition

worm (wʉrm)

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
  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

to move, proceed, etc. like a worm, in a winding, creeping, or devious manner

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

worm Related Forms

worm′er noun worm′·like′ adjective

worm Idioms

can of worms

☆

Informal a complex, usually unpleasant problem

worm Synonyms

worm

n.

  1. A small crawling animal

    caterpillar, grub, larva, maggot, leech, parasite, helminth.

    Common worms include: angleworm, earthworm, threadworm, pinworm, hookworm, tapeworm, galleyworm, silkworm, flatworm, blindworm, roundworm, annelid worm, cutworm, inchworm, measuring worm, army worm, cotton worm, wire worm.

  2. A debased creature

    wretch, hypocrite, beggar, fraud, brute, scoundrel, reprobate, snake, low-life, shyster, trickster, sneak, devil, demon, hellhound, scum, creep*, riffraff*, sharper*, swindler*, hoaxer.

  3. Helminthiasis; usually plural

    hookworm, intestinal worms, tapeworms; see infection 1.

worm Synonyms

worm

v.

inch, insinuate oneself, sidle; see crawl 1, sneak.

Worm Hacker Definition

A worm is a self-replicating, self-contained software program that does not need to be part of another program to propagate. A virus, in contrast, attaches itself to and becomes part of another executable program. Worms as well as viruses typically contain some kind of malicious payload besides the propagation and infection mechanism.

On February 3, 2005, Sophos, Inc., a company providing virus detection and other security tools, warned that a version of the Bobax-H worm, hidden within Saddam Hussein photos showing him deceased, invaded computers and carried message warnings such as “Saddam Hussein: Attempted Escape. Shot Dead.” Other versions of the worm had pictures of an allegedly captured Osama Bin Laden. If activated, the payload had the same effect as the Sasser worm.

Security experts worldwide have been exploring various ways of stopping worms in their tracks. In April 2005, Professor Shigang Chen and Professor Sanjay Ranka at the University of Florida said they designed an Internet worm early-warning system to detect the initial sign of a malware attack. Professors Chen and Ranka said that their suggested early-warning system monitors a “used” address space and relies on RESET packets to find the scan sources. Their research paper focuses on TCP-focused worms and details a means of avoiding so-called “false positives” by viewing reply traffic from targets instead of monitoring the SYN packets to track half-open connections.

See Also: Attack; False Positives; Internet; Malware; Packet; Synchronize Packet (SYN); Virus.

Inquirer. Saddam Hussein “Death” Virus on Loose. [Online, February 3, 2005.] Breakthrough Publishing Ltd. Website http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=21080; Naraine, R. Researchers Propose Early Warning System for Worms. [Online, April 20, 2005.] Ziff Davis Media Website. http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1788294,00.asp.

worm Telecom Definition

A type of malware that replicates itself across a computer network by making copies of itself, which it sends to other computers. A worm embeds itself in memory and may replicate itself so many times that it causes the host to crash. Note that a worm is neither a Trojan horse nor a virus. See also malware, spyware, Trojan horse, and virus.

worm Usage Examples

Converse of object

chop: Red maggot with chopped worm mixed in with the ground bait is the killer with anglers taking up to 10 slabs at a sitting.

Preposition: on

hook: Alan fished caster and worm on the hook free feeding caster and hemp little and often.

Adjective modifier

  • parasitic: This disease is caused by parasitic worms which lay eggs that are passed in the urine or feces.
  • polychaete: The majority of these 50 species are red algae, polychaete worms, crustaceans and mollusks.
  • intestinal: There is a health hazard with the muck from geese which may contain an intestinal worm.
  • im: Unchecked, these IM worms can install spyware, adware, keystroke loggers, and root kits on victims ' PCs.
  • filarial: For example, in countries where filarial worms were once very common, lots of people were dying of the parasite infections.
  • microscopic: The mudflats are crammed with tasty microscopic worms and marine worms, lots of lovely food to over 20,000 birds.

Modifies a noun

  • infestation: Other worm infestations seen in the UK are not associated with human sources.
  • composter: As long as the worm composter is working properly, the worms will be able to handle these substances.
  • caenorhabditis: Our exploration of model organisms, focusses this time on the tiny nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans.
  • elegans: Our exploration of model organisms, focusses this time on the tiny nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans.
  • burrow: In pigs adult worms burrow into the mucosa of the small intestine where the female produces larvae.
  • larva: The scientist and artist Hubert Duprat has placed Caddis worm larvae in vitrines lined with gold dust and tiny particles of jewels.

Noun used with modifier

  • nematode: For the nematode worm was an unknown in the world of model organisms.
  • mass-mailing: Such e-mails normally have an attachment carrying a mass-mailing worm which will harvest false ' from ' addresses from your computer's address-book.
  • lob: The most commonly found worm in the garden is the lob worm.
  • glow: ANSWER: None Why does a glow worm glow?
  • bristle: Karen found a very nice bristle worm - about 10 cms long - on top of a rock.
  • brandling: You can make an excellent compost in a small container and enlist the help of the brandling worms.