worm-eaten

[ wurm-eet-n ]

adjective

1. eaten into or gnawed by worms.
2. impaired by time, decayed or antiquated.

worm-eaten

adjective

1. eaten into by worms

   a worm-eaten table

2. decayed; rotten
3. old-fashioned; antiquated

Other Words From

• un·worm-eaten adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of worm-eaten¹

1350–1400; Middle English wormeten; worm, eat, -en ³

Example Sentences

I sighed and thought my master’s soul was as hollow as a worm-eaten pistachio.

From Literature

Sailors on a secret wartime mission had already dealt with typhus, lice, blinding squalls, frostbite, worm-eaten biscuits, scurvy and the death of comrades since they set sail months earlier.

From Seattle Times

The old clock stared at me from the dresser like a worm-eaten stump, all useless and dead.

From Literature

The brilliant snake's eyes that were set so deep in that dreadful rotting worm-eaten face glared unblinkingly at the witches who sat facing her.

From Literature

Tucked down in the bottom, wrapped in a leftover piece of paper, is a single worm-eaten faerie fruit I picked up on the way home.

From Literature