Noun | 1. | worm - any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae |
2. | worm - a person who has a nasty or unethical character undeserving of respect | |
3. | worm - a software program capable of reproducing itself that can spread from one computer to the next over a network; "worms take advantage of automatic file sending and receiving features found on many computers" | |
4. | worm - screw thread on a gear with the teeth of a worm wheel or rack | |
Verb | 1. | worm - to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling); "The prisoner writhed in discomfort"; "The child tried to wriggle free from his aunt's embrace" |
1. | WORM - Write-Once Read-Many | ||
2. | (networking, security) | worm - (From "Tapeworm" in John Brunner's
novel "The Shockwave Rider", via XEROX PARC) A program that
propagates itself over a network, reproducing itself as it
goes. Compare virus. Nowadays the term has negative
connotations, as it is assumed that only crackers write
worms. Perhaps the best-known example was the Great Worm. Compare Trojan horse. |