vermiculate
/vəˈmɪk.jʊl.ət/
vermiculate means like a worm; resembling a worm. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 78 out of 100.
vermiculate is pronounced /vəˈmɪk.jʊl.ət/.
Why “vermiculate” is a great word
VERMICULATE — [Adjective, Verb] Marked with sinuous, worm-like tracks or inlaid patterns; resembling a worm in form. Verbal: to decorate with such wavy, worm-track lines. From the Latin *vermiculatus*, past participle of *vermiculor* ("to be full of worms, worm-eaten"), from *vermiculus*, diminutive of *vermis* ("worm"). First attested in English circa 1600. Unlike "serpentine," which suggests smooth, flowing, snake-like curves, or "filigree," which denotes precise, lace-like metalwork, "vermiculate" implies a smaller, more chaotic, and organically etched infestation of form. It is the labyrinthine trace left by a bookworm in a psalter's page, the dendritic tarnish blooming across an ancient mirror, or the ornate, worm-eaten filigree of rotten wood—a quiet scripture of time and small, relentless appetites.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin vermiculatus (“inlaid in wavy lines”), past participle of vermiculor (“to be full of worms or worm-eaten”), from vermiculus (“little worm”).
adj
- Like a worm; resembling a worm.
- Vermiculated.
verb
- To decorate with lines resembling the tracks of worms.