any disease or disorder, usually of the intestine, characterized by infestation with parasitic worms
Worms in British English
(wɜːmz, German vɔrms)
noun
a city in SW Germany, in Rhineland-Palatinate on the Rhine: famous as the seat of imperial diets, notably that of 1521, before which Luther defended his doctrines in the presence of Charles V; river port and manufacturing centre with a large wine trade. Pop: 81 100 (2003 est)
Worms in American English
(vɔʀmz; E wɜrmz)
city in SW Germany, on the Rhine, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate: scene of an assembly (Diet of Worms), 1521, at which Martin Luther was condemned for heresy: pop. 78,000
More idioms containing
worms
a worm's eye view
More idioms containing
worms
a can of worms
Examples of 'worms' in a sentence
worms
In the gloom men moved about holding torches like human glow worms.
Forbes, Colin COVER STORY (2003)
Barney once said, `I'd rather open a can of caviar than a can of worms any day of the week.
Anita Anderson SUMMER OF SECRETS (2003)
All related terms of 'worms'
vermi-
worm
worm
A worm is a small animal with a long thin body, no bones and no legs.
screw conveyor
a duct along which material is conveyed by the rotational action of a spiral vane which lies along the length of the duct
screw thread
the helical ridge on a screw formed by a die or lathe tool
can of worms
a complicated problem
a can of worms
If you say that someone is opening a can of worms , you are warning them that they are planning to do or talk about something which is much more complicated , unpleasant , or difficult than they realize and which might be better left alone .
dew-worm
any large earthworm that is found on the ground at night and is used as fishing bait
fan worm
any tube-dwelling polychaete worm of the family Sabellidae , having long tentacles that spread into a fan when the worm emerges from its tube
glow-worm
A glow-worm is a type of beetle which produces light from its body.
red worm
→ bloodworm
acorn worm
any of various small burrowing marine animals of the genus Balanoglossus and related genera, having an elongated wormlike body with an acorn-shaped eversible proboscis at the head end: subphylum Hemichordata ( hemichordates )
white worm
an active carnivorous polychaete worm, Nephthys hombergii, that is about 10cm (4in) long, having a pearly sheen to its body: often dug for bait
bladder worm
an encysted saclike larva of the tapeworm . The main types are cysticercus , hydatid , and coenurus
bristle worm
any marine annelid worm of the class Polychaeta, having a distinct head and paired fleshy appendages ( parapodia ) that bear bristles ( chaetae or setae ) and are used in swimming: includes the lugworms , ragworms , and sea mice
gordian worm
any of a phylum (Nematomorpha) of long, thin, worms parasitic in insects when immature and free-swimming as adults; horsehair worm
Guinea worm
a parasitic nematode worm , Dracunculus medinensis, that lives beneath the skin in humans and other vertebrates and is common in India and Africa
mopani worm
an edible caterpillar that feeds on mopani leaves
paddle worm
any of a family of green-blue faintly iridescent active marine polychaete worms of the genus Phyllodoce, having paddle-shaped swimming lobes , found under stones on the shore
palmer worm
the hairy black and white caterpillar of the goldtail moth
palolo worm
any of several polychaete worms of the family Eunicidae, esp Eunice viridis, of the S Pacific Ocean : reproductive segments are shed from the posterior end of the body when breeding
ribbon worm
→ nemertean
stomach worm
any of various nematode worms that are parasitic in the stomach of mammals, esp Haemonchus contortus, which infests sheep : family Trichostrongylidae
tongue worm
a parasitic worm , Linguatula serrata , found in the nose of dogs , so called because of the shape of the worm
vinegar worm
a nematode worm , Anguillula aceti, that feeds on the organisms that cause fermentation in vinegar and other liquids
bootlace worm
a nemertean worm , Lineus longissimus , that inhabits shingly shores and attains lengths of over 6 m (20 ft)
horsehair worm
→ gordian worm
longworm
a nemertean worm , Lineus longissimus , that inhabits shingly shores and attains lengths of over 6 m (20 ft)
measuring worm
the larva of a geometrid moth : it has legs on its front and rear segments only and moves in a series of loops
nematode worm
any unsegmented worm of the phylum (or class) Nematoda, having a tough outer cuticle . The group includes free-living forms and disease-causing parasites , such as the hookworm and filaria
railroad worm
the larva of a fruit fly, Rhagoletis pomonella , that burrows through apples , forming tunnels that sometimes appear on the skin as faint depressions or darkened trails : a serious pest of apples in colder regions of North America
worm out of
If you worm information out of someone, you gradually find it out by constantly asking them about it.
fall army worm
the caterpillar of a widely distributed noctuid moth, Spodoptera frugiperda, which travels in vast hordes and is a serious pest of cereal crops in tropical regions of the western hemisphere
worm's eye view
a view seen from below or from a more lowly or humble point
African army worm
the caterpillar of a widely distributed noctuid moth, Spodoptera exempta, which travels in vast hordes and is a serious pest of cereal crops and grasses in Africa and parts of Australia
spiny-headed worm
→ acanthocephalan
tubeworm
any of various polychaete worms that construct and live in a tube made of sand , lime , etc
catworm
an active carnivorous polychaete worm, Nephthys hombergii, that is about 10cm (4in) long, having a pearly sheen to its body: often dug for bait
enteropneust
a worm-like marine invertebrate
nemertean
any soft flattened ribbon-like marine worm of the phylum (or class) Nemertea (or Nemertina ), having an eversible threadlike proboscis
tomato hornworm
a hawk moth ( Manduca quinquemaculata ) whose large, green caterpillar feeds on tomato plants
nematode
any unsegmented worm of the phylum (or class) Nematoda, having a tough outer cuticle . The group includes free-living forms and disease-causing parasites , such as the hookworm and filaria
tobacco hornworm
a hawk moth ( Manduca sexta ) whose large, green caterpillar feeds on the leaves of tobacco plants
vinegar eel
a nematode worm , Anguillula aceti, that feeds on the organisms that cause fermentation in vinegar and other liquids
hairworm
any hairlike nematode worm of the family Trichostrongylidae, such as the stomach worm, parasitic in the intestines of vertebrates
phoronid
a small, wormlike marine animal which usually lives in the mud of the sea bottom and is hermaphrodite