railroad worm
noun
the larva of a fruit fly, Rhagoletis pomonella, that burrows through apples, forming tunnels that sometimes appear on the skin as faint depressions or darkened trails: a serious pest of apples in colder regions of North America.
RELATED CONTENT
When To Use “A,” “An,” And “The”Articles are words that make it clear whether a noun refers to something specific or something general. The English language has only three articles: a, an, and the. This stanza from Emily Dickinson’s poem “A Bird Came Down the Walk” demonstrates the use of all three: A Bird came down the Walk— He did not know I saw— He bit an Angleworm in halves And …
Nearby words
railing, raillery, railroad, railroad flat, railroad pen, railroad worm, railroader, railroading, railway, railwayman, raiment
Origin of railroad worm
First recorded in 1905–10
Also called apple maggot.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019