worm
worm n
OE wyrm.
- Maggot; insect larvae that feeds on a corpse.
- Caterpillar; larval stage of a moth; [metonymy] butterfly.
- Small soft-bodied creeping creature with multiple feet.
- Pest; subterranean burrowing creature.
- Grub; small wingless insect; [fig.] meal; piece of food.
- Earthworm; [fig.] dragon.
- Phrase. “Angle Worm”: live bait used for fishing; (see angle, n. and angleworm).
- Phrase. “Glow Worm”: firefly; lamperyd; lightning bug; male coleopterous; winged insect that emits light from its abdomen; flying worm that radiates a phosphorescent pulse of light; [fig.] falling star; meteor flash.