Emily Dickinson Lexicon

worm, n. [OE wyrm.] (webplay: arts, color, ends, find, smaller, something, spirit, wind, woody).

1. Maggot; insect larvae that feeds on a corpse.
2. Caterpillar; larval stage of a moth; [metonymy] butterfly.
3. Small soft-bodied creeping creature with multiple feet.
4. Pest; subterranean burrowing creature.
5. Grub; small wingless insect; [fig.] meal; piece of food.
6. Earthworm; [fig.] dragon.
7. Phrase. “Angle Worm”: live bait used for fishing; (see angle, n. and angleworm).
8. 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.