(n.) A creeping or a crawling animal of any kind or size, as a
serpent, caterpillar, snail, or the like.
(n.) Any small creeping animal or reptile, either entirely without
feet, or with very short ones, including a great variety of animals;
as, an earthworm; the blindworm.
(n.) Any helminth; an entozoon.
(n.) Any annelid.
(n.) An insect larva.
(n.) Same as Vermes.
(n.) An internal tormentor; something that gnaws or afflicts one's
mind with remorse.
(n.) A being debased and despised.
(n.) Anything spiral, vermiculated, or resembling a worm
(n.) The thread of a screw.
(n.) A spiral instrument or screw, often like a double corkscrew,
used for drawing balls from firearms.
(n.) A certain muscular band in the tongue of some animals, as the
dog; the lytta. See Lytta.
(n.) The condensing tube of a still, often curved and wound to
economize space. See Illust. of Still.
(n.) A short revolving screw, the threads of which drive, or are
driven by, a worm wheel by gearing into its teeth or cogs. See Illust.
of Worm gearing, below.
(v. i.) To work slowly, gradually, and secretly.
(v. t.) To effect, remove, drive, draw, or the like, by slow and
secret means; -- often followed by out.
(v. t.) To clean by means of a worm; to draw a wad or cartridge
from, as a firearm. See Worm, n. 5 (b).
(n.) To cut the worm, or lytta, from under the tongue of, as a
dog, for the purpose of checking a disposition to gnaw. The operation
was formerly supposed to guard against canine madness.
(n.) To wind rope, yarn, or other material, spirally round,
between the strands of, as a cable; to wind with spun yarn, as a small
rope.
