WORM
abbr. Computers write once, read many
worm
(wûrm) n. 1. Any of various invertebrates, especially an annelid, flatworm, nematode, or nemertean, having a long, flexible, rounded or flattened body, often without obvious appendages.
2. Any of various crawling insect larvae, such as a grub or a caterpillar, having a soft elongated body.
3. Any of various other animals, such as a shipworm or a slowworm, having a long slender limbless body.
4. a. Something, such as the thread of a screw or the spiral condenser in a still, that resembles a worm in form or appearance.
b. The spirally threaded shaft of a worm gear.
5. An insidiously tormenting or devouring force: "felt the black worm of treachery growing in his heart" (Mario Puzo).
6. A person regarded as pitiable or contemptible.
7. worms Medicine Infestation of the intestines or other parts of the body with parasitic worms; helminthiasis.
8. Computers A malicious program that replicates itself until it fills all of the storage space on a drive or network.
v. wormed, worm·ing, worms
v. tr. 1. To make (one's way) with the sinuous crawling motion of a worm.
2. To work (one's way or oneself) subtly or gradually; insinuate: She wormed her way into his confidence.
3. To elicit by artful or devious means. Usually used with out of: wormed a confession out of the suspect.
4. To treat for intestinal worms: wormed the dog.
5. Nautical To wrap yarn or twine spirally around (rope).
v. intr. 1. To move in a manner suggestive of a worm.
2. To make one's way by artful or devious means: He can't worm out of this situation.
[Middle English, from Old English wurm, variant of wyrm; see wer-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
worm
(wɜːm) n1. (Animals) any of various invertebrates, esp the annelids (earthworms, etc), nematodes (roundworms), and flatworms, having a slender elongated body.
2. (Animals) any of various insect larvae having an elongated body, such as the silkworm and wireworm
3. (Animals) any of various unrelated animals that resemble annelids, nematodes, etc, such as the glow-worm and shipworm
4. a gnawing or insinuating force or agent that torments or slowly eats away
5. a wretched or spineless person
6. anything that resembles a worm in appearance or movement
7. (Tools) 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
8. (Brewing) a spiral pipe cooled by air or flowing water, used as a condenser in a still
9. (Zoology) a nontechnical name for
lytta 10. (Anatomy) anatomy any wormlike organ, structure, or part, such as the middle lobe of the cerebellum (vermis cerebelli). Technical name: vermis
11. (Computer Science) computing a program that duplicates itself many times in a network and prevents its destruction. It often carries a logic bomb or virus
vb12. to move, act, or cause to move or act with the slow sinuous movement of a worm
13. (foll by: in, into, out of, etc) to make (one's way) slowly and stealthily; insinuate (oneself)
14. (tr; often foll by out of or from) to extract (information, a secret, etc) from by persistent questioning
15. (tr) to free from or purge of worms
16. (Nautical Terms) (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
[Old English wyrm; related to Old Frisian wirm, Old High German wurm, Old Norse ormr, Gothic waurms, Latin vermis, Greek romos woodworm]
ˈwormer n
ˈwormˌlike, ˈwormish adj
WORM
(wɜːm) n acronym for (Computer Science) write once read many times: an optical disk that enables users to store data but not change it
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
worm
(wɜrm)
n. 1. any of numerous long, slender, soft-bodied, legless, bilaterally symmetrical invertebrates, including the roundworms, platyhelminths, acanthocephalans, nemerteans, horsehair worms, 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.
3. something resembling or suggesting a worm in appearance, movement, etc.
4. a groveling, abject, or contemptible person.
5. the thread of a screw.
6. a rotating cylinder or shaft, cut with one or more helical threads, that engages with and drives a worm gear.
7. something that penetrates, injures, or consumes slowly or insidiously.
8. worms, (used with a sing. v.) any disease or disorder arising from the presence of parasitic worms in the intestines or other tissues; helminthiasis.
9. the lytta of a dog or other carnivorous animal.
10. 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.
v.i. 11. to move or act like a worm; creep, crawl, or advance slowly, stealthily, or insidiously.
v.t. 12. to cause to move in a devious or stealthy manner: a thief worming his hand into a coat pocket.
13. to get by persistent, insidious efforts (usu. fol. by out or from): to worm a secret out of someone.
14. to insinuate (oneself or one's way) into another's favor, confidence, etc.: He wormed his way into the king's favor.
15. to free from worms: to worm puppies.
16. Naut. to wind yarn or the like spirally round (a rope) so as to fill the spaces between the strands and render the surface smooth.
[before 900; Middle English; Old English wyrm dragon, serpent, worm, c. Old Saxon, Old High German wurm, Old Norse ormr, Gothic waurms; akin to Latin vermis]
worm′er, n.
WORM
(würm)
n. write once, read many (times): a technology that allows data to be written onto an optical disc only once.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
worm
(wûrm)1. Any of various invertebrate animals having a soft, long body that is round or flattened and usually lacks limbs.
2. Computer Science A destructive computer program that copies itself over and over until it fills all of the storage space on a computer's hard drive or on a network.
Did You Know? Although there are many kinds of worms, both flat and round, we usually think of earthworms when someone mentions worms. Earthworms do not get a lot of respect these days, but Charles Darwin wrote an entire book explaining how important they are. "Long before [the plow] existed," he said, "the land was in fact regularly plowed and still continues to be thus plowed by earthworms. It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world." As they tunnel in the soil, earthworms open channels that allow in air and water. These channels improve drainage and make it easier for plants to send down roots. Earthworms eat and digest soil and the organic wastes it contains, and their own wastes provide nourishment for plants and other organisms. The tunneling of earthworms brings up nutrients from deep soils to the surface. It is estimated that each year, earthworms in one acre of land move 18 or more tons of soil. We enjoy the fruits of this labor in the form of rich soil and healthy vegetation.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.