Note: these 'words' (valid or invalid) are all the permutations of the word worm. These words are obtained by scrambling the letters in worm.
Definitions and meaning of worm
worm
Etymology
From Middle Englishworm, werm, wurm, wirm, from Old Englishwyrm(“worm, snake”), from Proto-Germanic*wurmiz, from Proto-Indo-European*wr̥mis, possibly from *wer-(“to turn”). Doublet of wyrm, which is a fairly recent borrowing directly from the Old English.
(computing): First computer usage by John Brunner in his 1975 book The Shockwave Rider.
Pronunciation
(Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /wɜːm/
(US) enPR: wûrm, IPA(key): /wɝm/
Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)m
Noun
worm (pluralworms)
A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm.
More loosely, any of various tubular invertebrates resembling annelids but not closely related to them, such as velvet worms, acorn worms, flatworms, or roundworms.
(archaic) A type of wingless "dragon", especially a gigantic sea serpent or any kind of dragon.
(fantasy, science fiction) Either a mythical "dragon" (especially wingless), a gigantic sea serpent, or a creature that resembles a Mongolian death worm.
A contemptible or devious being.
(computing) A self-replicating program that propagates through a network.
(cricket) A graphical representation of the total runs scored across a number of overs.
Anything helical, especially the thread of a screw.
A spiral instrument or screw, often like a double corkscrew, used for drawing balls from firearms.
The spiral wire of a corkscrew.
(anatomy) A muscular band in the tongue of some animals, such as dogs; the lytta.
The condensing tube of a still, often curved and wound to save space.
A short revolving screw whose threads drive, or are driven by, a worm wheel or rack by gearing into its teeth.
(obsolete) Any creeping or crawling animal, such as a snake, snail, or caterpillar.
1561, Geneva Bible, Acts 28:3-4,[1]
And when Paul had gathered a nomber of stickes, & laid them on the fyre, there came a viper out of the heat, and leapt on his hand. Now when the Barbarians sawe the worme hang on his hand, they said among them selues This man surely is a murtherer, whome, thogh he hathe escaped the sea, yet Vengeance hathe not suffred to liue.
(figuratively) An internal tormentor; something that gnaws or afflicts one’s mind with remorse.
(mathematics) A strip of linked tiles sharing parallel edges in a tiling.
(anatomy) The lytta.
(preceded by definite article) A dance, or dance move, in which the dancer lies on the floor and undulates the body horizontally thereby moving forwards.
Usage notes
It is common to use the plural form worms to refer to intestinal or other internal parasites.
Although the use of the "worm" to mean "dragon" or "serpent" is archaic, those meanings are in current use in the word "wyrm" which is a doublet of "worm". Wyrm is a fairly recent borrowing directly from the Old English.
Derived terms
Translations
References
Verb
worm (third-person singular simple presentworms, present participleworming, simple past and past participlewormed)
(transitive) To make (one's way) with a crawling motion.
(intransitive) To move with one's body dragging the ground.
(intransitive, figuratively) To work one's way by artful or devious means.
(transitive, figuratively) To work (one's way or oneself) (into) gradually or slowly; to insinuate.
(often followed by out) To effect, remove, drive, draw, or the like, by slow and secret means.
(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).
(transitive, nautical) To fill in the contlines of (a rope) before parcelling and serving.
(transitive) To deworm (an animal).
(transitive) 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.
(transitive) To clean by means of a worm; to draw a wad or cartridge from, as a firearm.
Translations
See also
References
[5] The Free Dictionary, Farlex Inc., 2010.
Anagrams
mrow
Cornish
Adjective
worm
Soft mutation of gorm.
Dutch
Alternative forms
wurm
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ʋɔrm/
Hyphenation: worm
Rhymes: -ɔrm
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutchworm, from Old Dutch*wurm, *worm, from Proto-Germanic*wurmiz, from Proto-Indo-European*wr̥mis. Compare Englishworm, West Frisianwjirm, GermanWurm, Danishorm.
Noun
wormm (pluralwormen, diminutivewormpjen)
worm, vernacular term for various, mostly legless invertebrates; often nematodes or legless arthropod larvae.
Derived terms
Descendants
Afrikaans: wurm
Berbice Creole Dutch: worum
Negerhollands: worm, wurum
See also
pier
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
worm
inflection of wormen:
first-person singular present indicative
imperative
Middle English
Alternative forms
werm, wirm, wurm, wyrm, wyrme, wrim, worme
Etymology
From Old Englishwyrm, from Proto-West Germanic*wurmi, from Proto-Germanic*wurmiz, from Proto-Indo-European*wr̥mis.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈwurm/, /ˈwɛrm/, /ˈwirm/
Noun
worm (pluralwormesorwormen)
A worm or similar small wormlike animal that lives in the ground; especially in the following special senses:
A wormish insect that damages plants or plant-based material (e.g. a termite).
A wormish insect that damages human remains.
A parasitic worm; especially one living in the stomach.
A crawling animal; an animal that moves upon the ground.
An animal regarded as harmful and annoying.
A snake or snake-like monster.
A dragon, drake, or wyrm (mythological fire-breathing winged lizard)
A beast that inhabits Hell; causing suffering to its inhabitants.
A pauper, miser, or other contemptuous individual.
regret, forgiveness; the twanging of the heartstrings.
evil, malice; that which promotes maliciousness.
(biblical) The snake of Eden.
(Christianity, rare) Satan, the Devil.
(veterinary, rare) A muscle underneath the tongue of a dog seen as increasing the risk of rabies.
Related terms
glouworm
wormwode
Descendants
English: worm
Scots: worm, wirm
References
“wǒrm, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-05-02.