worm-eaten

American  

[wurm-eet-n] / ˈwɜrmˌit n /

adjective

1. eaten into or gnawed by worms.

2. impaired by time, decayed or antiquated.

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worm-eaten British  

adjective

1. eaten into by worms

   a worm-eaten table

2. decayed; rotten

3. old-fashioned; antiquated

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Other Word Forms

• unworm-eaten adjective

Etymology

Origin of worm-eaten

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