Vermetus 
0730 
Vermetus (ver-me'tus), n. [NL. (Adanson), vermiculate (ver-mik'u-lat), r. ; pret. and pp. 
The typical vcrticiilat>-<l, ppr. rermiculatiitg. [< L. rcrniicii- 
< L. rcrmis. a worm: sec irww.] 
genus of Vermetidfe, having the 
later whorls of the shell separated 
and crooked or tortuous. The shell 
strikingly resembles the case or tube of 
some of the tubicolous worms, as the ser- 
pulas, and is affixed to shells, corals, and 
other substances. V. lumbricalix is a 
characteristic example. 
vermian (ver'mi-au), a. [< L. ver- 
min, a worm, + -.] Worm-like ; 
of the nature of a worm ; related 
to worms ; of or pertaining to Ver- 
mcs, in any sense: as, the supposed 
rcrmiim ancestors of vertebrates. 
In this point also we can make out an af- 
finity with Vermian larva? (Actinotrocha). 
Gegenbaur, Conip. Anat. (trans.), p. 307. 
Vermicella (ver-mi-sel'a), . 
[NL. (Giinther, 1858): cf. vermi- 
celli.] A genus of colubriform serpents. V. 
annulata- is the black and white ringed snake. 
vermicelli (ver-mi-sel'i or ver-mi-chel'li), n. 
[It., rolled paste, pi. of vermicello, a little 
worm, < ML. *vermiceltux, dim. of L. vermis, a 
worm: see worm."] An Italian paste prepared 
of flour, cheese, yolks of eggs, sugar, and saf- 
fron, manufactured in the form of long slender 
threads, and so named on account of its worm- 
like appearance. Vermicelli is the same substance as 
macaroni, the only difference being that the latter is made 
larger, and is hollow while vermicelli is solid. Both are 
prepared in the greatest perfection at Naples, where they 
form a principal item in the food of the population, and 
are a favorite dish among all classes. Vermicelli is used 
in soups, broths, etc. See also spaghetti. 
vermiceous (ver-mish'ius), a. [< L. vermis, 
worm, + -ceous.~] Worm-like: wormy; per- 
taining to worms. Also verminous. [Bare.] 
vermieidal (ver'mi-si-dal), a. [< vermicide + 
-al.~\ Destroying worms; having the quality or 
effect of a vermicide ; anthelmintic. 
vermicide (ver'mi-sid), t. [< L. vermis, worm, 
+ -cifla, < csedcre, kill.] A worm-killer; that 
which destroys worms : applied to those an- 
thelmintic drugs which act by killing, and not 
simply expelling, parasitic worms, such as en- 
tozoans. 
Some [anthelmintics] act obnoxiously on intestinal 
worms destroying or injuring them. . . . These are . . . 
the vermicides of some authors. 
Pereira, Mat. Med. and Therap., p. 230. 
vermicious (ver-mish'us), a. See vermiceous. 
vermicle (ver'mi-kl), . Same as vermicule. 
[Rare.] 
We see many vermicles towards the outside of many of 
the oak-apples, which I guess were not what the primitive 
insects laid up in the germ from which the oak-apple had 
its rise. Derham, Physico-Theol., viii. 6, note. 
vermicular (ver-mik'u-lar), a. [= F. vermi- 
culaire = Sp. Pg. rermicular = It. vermicolare, 
< ML. vermicularis, < L. rermiculns, a worm: 
see vermicide.] 1. Like a worm in form or 
movement; vermiform; tortuous or sinuous; 
also, writhing or wriggling. 
In the jar containing the leeches had been introduced, 
by accident, one of the venomous vermicular sangsues 
which are now and then found in the neighbouring ponds. 
Poe, Tale of the Ragged Mountains. 
2. Like the track or trace of a worm ; appear- 
ing as if worm-eaten ; vermiculate: as, vermic- 
ular erosions. 3. Marked with fine, close-set, 
wavy or tortuous lines of color; vermiculated. 
4. In bot., shaped like a worm; thick, and 
almost cylindrical, but bent in different places, 
as some roots Vermicular appendix or process. 
Same as vermiform appendix (which see, under appendix). 
Vermicular or vermiculated work, (a) A sort of 
ornamental work consisting of winding frets or knots 
in mosaic pavements, resembling the tracks of worms. 
Vermicular Masonry. Palace of the Louvre, Paris. 
ft) A form of rusticated masonry which is so wrought as 
to appear thickly indented with worm-tracks. See rustic 
work, under rustic. 
latus, pp. of rermiciihiri, be full of worms, be 
worm-eaten, < rermiculna, a little worm: see ver- 
micule.'] I. inlrans. To become full of worms; 
be eaten by worms. 
Speak, doth his body there vermiculate, 
Crumble to dust, and feel the laws of fate? 
Elegy upon Dr. Donne. 
II. trans. To ornament with winding and 
waving lines, as if caused by the movement of 
worms. 
Set up [certain pillars] originally with the bark on, the 
worms worked underneath it in secret, at a novel sort of 
decoration, until the bark came off and exposed the stems 
most beautifully vermiculated. 
C. D. Warner, Their Pilgrimage, p. 157. 
Finely vermiculated with dusky waves. 
Cones, Key to N. A. Birds, p. 838. 
Vermiculated mosaic, an ancient Roman mosaic of the 
most delicate and elaborate character ; the Roman opus 
vermiculatum. The name has reference to the arrange- 
ment of the small tesserae in curved and waving lines as 
required by the shading of the design. Vermiculated 
work. See vermicular work, under vermicular. 
vermiculate (ver-mik'u-lat), a. [< L. vermicu- 
latus, pp. of vcrmiculari, be full of worms, be 
worm-eaten: see vermiculate, v.~] 1. In zool. : 
(a) Forming a vermieulation ; fine, close-set, 
and wavy or tortuous, as color-marks ; vermicu- 
lar: as, vermiculate color-markings. (6) In en- 
tomology: (1) Marked with tortuous impres- 
sions, as if worm-eaten, as the elytra of certain 
beetles; vermiculated. (2) Having thick-set 
tufts of parallel hairs. 2. Full of worms; in- 
fested with worms; worm-eaten. 
It is the property of good and sound knowledge to pu 
trify and dissolve into a number of subtle, idle, unwhole- 
some, and . . . vermiculate questions* 
Bacon, Advancement of Learning, i. 
vermiculation (ver-mik-u-la'shpn), n. [=Sp. 
vermiculacion, < L. vermiculatio(n-), a being 
worm-eaten, < vermiculari, be worm-eaten: see 
vermiculatc, r.] 1. The action or movement of 
a worm; hence, a continuous or progressive 
motion along the bowels, which is strikingly 
like the action of successive joints of a worm 
in crawling; peristaltic action. 
My heart moves naturally by the motion of palpitation ; 
my mood by motion of circulation, excretion, perspira- 
tion ; my guts by the motion of vermieulation. 
Sir M. Hale, Orig. of Mankind, p. 81. 
2. Formation of worm-like figures or tracery; 
vermicular ornamentation, whether of form or 
of color; a set or system of vermiculate lines. 
See cuts under rustic and vermicular. 
The dusky vermiculatum of the under parts [of a shrike]. 
Coues, Key to N. A. Birds, p. 337. 
3. The act or art of producing vermiculated 
ornament. 4. Worminess; the state of being 
wormy or worm-eaten, literally or figuratively. 
This huge olive, which nourished so long, . . . fell, as 
they say, of vermiculation, being all worm-eaten within. 
Howett, Vocall Forrest, p. 70. 
vermicule (ver'mi-kul), n. [< L. rermicuhm, 
dim. of vermin, a worm: see worm. Cf. vermicle, 
vermeil.'] A little worm or grub ; a small worm- 
" like body or object. Also, rarely, vermicle. 
vermicuii (ver-mik'u-15), >i. Plural of vcrmicu- 
IK.I. 
vermiculite (ver-mik'u-llt), . [< L. vermicellis, 
a worm, + -ite 2 .] In mineral., one of a group 
of hydrous silicates having a micaceous struc- 
ture, and in most cases derived from the com- 
mon micas by alteration. When heated nearly to 
redness they exfoliate largely, and some kinds project 
out with a vermicular motion, as if they were a mass of 
small worms (whence the name). 
vermiculose (ver-mik'u-los), a. [< LL. vermi- 
culosiis, full of worms, wormy, < L. vermiculns, a 
little worm: see vermicule.'] 1. Full of worms; 
wormy; worm-eaten. 2. Worm-like ; vermi- 
form; vermicular. 
venniculous (ver-mik'u-lus), a. Same as ver- 
miculone. 
Vermiculus (ver-mik'u-lus), n.; pi. vermicuii 
(-11). [< L. vcrmiculus, a little worm: see ver- 
micule.] 1. A little worm or grub. 2f. Spe- 
cifically, the kermes- or cochineal-insect ; also, 
its product, known as worm-dye. See vermil- 
ion, 1. Also vermiculum. 
vermiform (ver'mi-form), a. [< NL. vermifor- 
mis, < L. vcrmis, worm. + forma, form.] Worm- 
like in form ; shaped like a worm ; vermicular, 
(a) Long and slender ; of small caliber in proportion to 
length ; cylindrical : as, the vermiform body of a weasel ; 
the vermiform tongue of the ant-eater. See cuts under 
ant-bear and tamandua. 
This [a nbrinous clot in the heart], when drawn from its 
position, revealed a kind of vermiform prolongation that 
extended along the tube of the artery. 
J. M. Carnochan, Operative Surgery, p. 167. 
vermilion 
(6) Related to a worm in structure ; allied or belonging to 
the Vermen ; vermian ; helminthic; annuloidorannulose. 
(c) Specifically, in entom. : (1) Noting any maggot or mag- 
got-like larva, as those of most lljimenoptera and Diptera. 
(2) Noting certain worm-like polyphagous larva?, with 
only rudimentary antenna?, and apodous or with very short 
legs like tubercles, as those of most weevils and longi- 
corns. Vermiform appendix. See appendix. Vermi- 
form echinoderms, the gephyreans or spoonworms. See 
Vermiijrada. Vermiform embryos, in IHcyemida. em- 
bryos produced by a nematogenous dicyema. See Dicyeina 
(with cut) and Xematu'jcna. Vermiform holotuurians, 
the Si/naptidie. See cuts under echinopsedium and Synap- 
tidee. Vermiform process, (a) Same as vermiform ap- 
pendix, (b) The vermis of the cerebellum. 
Vermiformla (ver-mi-for'mi-a), . pi. [NL., 
neut. pi. of vermiformis : see vermiform. ,] In 
Lankester's classification of molluscoids, the 
first section of the third class ofPodaxonia, con- 
taining only the genus Phoronis. 
vermifugal (ver-mif 'u-gal), a. [< vermifuge + 
-al.] Having the character, quality, or effect of 
a vermifuge ; tending to expel parasitic worms ; 
anthelmintic; vermieidal. 
vermifuge (ver'mi-fuj), ii. [< F. rennifui/e = 
Sp. vermifiiyo = Pg. It. rcrmifugo, expelling 
worms, < L. vermis, worm, + fugare, put to 
flight, expel, < fuyire, flee.] A remedy em- 
ployed to effect the dislodgment and expulsion 
of intestinal worms. 
To rescue from oblivion the merit of his vermifuge medi- 
cines. Edinburgh Rev., XL. 48. 
vermiglia (ver-mil'ia), it. [< It. rermiglia, a 
sort of precious stone, < vermiglio, bright-red: 
see vermeil.] A scorpeenoid fish, the rock-cod, 
Sebastichthys chlorostictus. [Monterey, Cali- 
fornia.] 
Vermigrada (ver-mig'ra-da), n. pi. [NL. 
(Forbes), neut. pi. of vermigradus: see vermi- 
grade.~] The so-called vermiform echinoderms ; 
the gephyreans or spoonworms and their allies, 
formerly regarded as an order of Echinoder- 
mata. See cut under Sipunculus. 
vermigrade (ver'mi-grad), a. [< NL. vermi- 
gradus, < L. vermis, a worm, + gradi, step.] 
Moving like a worm; wriggling along: noting 
the Vermigrada. 
vermilt, An obsolete form of vermeil. 
Vermileo (ver-mil'e-6), w. [NL. (Macquart, 
1834), < It. vermiglio = F. vermeil : see vermeil.'] 
A genus of snipe-flies, of the family Leptidee : 
synonymous with Leptis. 
vermilingual (ver-mi-ling'gwal), a. Same as 
vcrmilinguial. 
Vermilingues (ver-mi-ling'gwez), n. pi. Same 
as Vermilinguia, 2. 
Vermilinguia (ver-mi-ling'gwi-ii), n.pl. [NL., 
< L. vermis, a worm, + lingua, tongue.] 1. In 
Illiger's classification (1811). a family of eden- 
tates composed of the ant-eaters, aardvarks, 
and pangolins, as distinguished from the arma- 
dillos (C'ingulata), both these being families of 
his ninth order, Effodientia: now restricted to 
the American ant-eaters, as a subordinal group. 
See cuts under ant-bear and tamandua. 2. In 
lierpet., a superfamily of lizards, including only 
the chameleons ; the Deitdrosaura or Kliiptoglos- 
sa. Also Vermilingues. See cut under chameleon. 
vermilinguial ( ver-mi-ling'gwi-al), a. [As Fer- 
milinguia + -o/.] 1. Having a vermiform 
tongue, as an ant-eater or a chameleon; be- 
longing to the Vermilinguia. See cut under 
tamandua. 2. In ornitJi., same as sagittilin- 
gual. See cut under sagittilingnal. 
vermilion (ver-mil'von), . and a. [Formerly 
also vermillion, virmtlion; OF. vermilion, a bright 
red, also the kermes-insect, also a little word, 
F. vermilion, vermilion (= Sp. bermellon = Pg. 
vermelhSo = It. vermiglionc, vermilion), < ver- 
meil, bright-red: see vermeil.'} I. . If. The 
kermes- or cochineal-insect ; also, the product 
of cochineal; worm-dye. 2. The red sulphid of 
mercury, or the mineral cinnabar, occurring in 
nature of a red-brown to a carmine-red color; 
also, a pigment formerly made by grinding 
selected pieces of native cinnabar, but now 
made artificially. The pigment is produced in two 
ways, (ff) In the wet way mercury, sulphur, potash, and 
water are mixed together in proper proportions, put into 
horizontal iron cylinders containing agitators, and stirred 
constantly for about an hour. The mass first turns black, 
then brick-red, and finally acquires the desired vermilion- 
red color. The potash is simply a carrier, and does not 
enter into the composition of the finished product, (b) 
In the dry way mercury and sulphur are mixed and 
heated in a kind of retort, the vermilion red subliming 
over. By slight variations in the process the color may be 
made pale or deep in shade, and may even be made at will 
to incline toward scarlet, crimson, or orange. As a pig- 
ment it is permanent, becoming dark rather than light on 
exposure. It possesses great body, and is a very brilliant 
and vivid red, toning toward orange. It is used exten- 
sively in painting and decorating, for making red sealing- 
