wormily

wormily

English

WOTD – 20 October 2008

Etymology

    From wormy + -ly.

    Pronunciation

    • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈwəː.mə.lɪ/
    • (US) IPA(key): /ˈwɝ.mə.li/
    • Audio (US):(file)

    Adverb

    wormily (comparative more wormily, superlative most wormily)

    1. In a manner reminding of a worm, with much twisting and turning.
      • 1936, H. P. Lovecraft, At the Mountains of Madness:
        It was not, he declares, anything connected with the cubes and caves of echoing, vaporous, wormily honeycombed mountains of madness which he crossed []
      • Spring 1999, D. F. Lewis, Stuart Hughes, “Beyond the comfort zone”, in Roadworks, number 4, pages 16–18:
        Susan Klein’s fat, puppy-lard face began to ripple, and slowly, wormily, [] there emerged an ordinary looking individual who might have been seen just about anywhere.