spindleworm

English

Etymology

From spindle +‎ worm.

Noun

spindleworm (plural spindleworms)

1. (rare) The larva of a noctuid moth (Achatodes zeae) which feeds inside the stalks of maize, sometimes causing much damage. It is smooth, with a black head and tail and a row of black dots across each segment.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “spindleworm”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)