What does vermicular mean?
Vermicular means wormlike, especially in appearance or movement. The adjective can describe a narrow, winding shape, as in a vermicular channel, or a twisting, wriggling action, as in vermicular movement. Its best-known medical use is for the muscular contractions of the digestive tract, where the term describes the coordinated, wave-like motion known as peristalsis. Outside technical contexts, vermicular is relatively uncommon and gives formal, precise force to a description of something serpentine or subtly writhing. It is related to the Latin word for worm and to English forms such as vermiform and vermiculture. Although vermicular can sometimes sound humorously elaborate, it is a useful word when the distinction between simple wormlike appearance and active wormlike motion matters.
adjectiveResembling a worm in shape or appearance; twisting or moving in a wormlike manner.
- Resembling a worm in shape or appearance.
- Moving in a twisting, wriggling, or wormlike manner.
"The surgeon identified a faint vermicular movement in the patient's abdomen."
"Peristalsis is the vermicular, wave-like movement that propels food through the digestive tract."
"The investigator examined the vermicular channels running through the soil."
Vermicular is a precise label for the twisting motion that helps your digestive system keep things moving.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does vermicular come from?
Vermicular entered English in early modern usage from the Latin adjective vermicularis, meaning “wormlike.” That form was derived from vermiculus, the diminutive of Latin vermis, meaning “worm.” Its relatives include vermiform, “worm-shaped,” and vermiculture, the cultivation of worms.
Related word forms
How vermicular is actually used
Vermicular is formal and chiefly technical. It is especially common in medicine and physiology for describing intestinal or muscular movements, but it can also describe anything narrow, twisting, or wormlike.
Easily confused with vermicular
Vermiform usually emphasizes a wormlike shape, whereas vermicular can describe either wormlike form or twisting, wriggling motion.