Worm"ling (?), n. A little worm.
O dusty wormling! dost thou strive and stand With heaven's high
monarch?
Sylvester.
Worm"seed` (?), n. (Bot.) Any one of several plants, as Artemisia
santonica, and Chenopodium anthelminticum, whose seeds have the
property of expelling worms from the stomach and intestines.
Wormseed mustard, a slender, cruciferous plant (Erysinum
cheiranthoides) having small lanceolate leaves.
Worm"-shaped` (?), a. Shaped like a worm; &?;hick and almost
cylindrical, but variously curved or bent; as, a worm-shaped root.
Worm"-shell` (?), n. (Zoöl.) Any species of Vermetus.
Wor"mul (?), n. (Zoöl.) See Wornil.
Worm"wood (?), n. [AS. werm&?;d, akin to OHG. wermuota, wormuota, G.
wermuth, wermut; of uncertain origin.]
1. (Bot.) A composite plant (Artemisia Absinthium), having a bitter and
slightly aromatic taste, formerly used as a tonic and a vermifuge, and
to protect woolen garments from moths. It gives the peculiar flavor to
the cordial called absinthe. The volatile oil is a narcotic poison. The
term is often extended to other species of the same genus.