Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The larva of either of two geometrid moths (Paleacrita vernata or Alsophila pometaria), destructive to fruit and shade trees.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A name given to certain caterpillars which are very destructive to fruit- and shade-trees.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) The larva of two species of geometrid moths which are very injurious to fruit and shade trees by eating, and often entirely destroying, the foliage. Other similar larvæ are also called cankerworms.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Either of two
caterpillars , thelarvae ofgeometrid moths , that are destructive tofruit ,buds andleaves . - noun figuratively A
corrupting or destructive force.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun green caterpillar of a geometrid moth; pest of various fruit and shade trees
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The "cankerworm," or licking locust, answers to the
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This light issue is a cankerworm that has eatendeep into our economy, social life and every other ting you can think of!!
Global Voices in English » Light Up Nigeria: Enough Is Enough 2009
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Like a cankerworm it has eaten deeply in the society and finally been accepted by the same society.
I love Blogger! Ann Althouse 2008
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There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.
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And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
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And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
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There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.
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Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away.
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Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away.
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"We need to adopt a zero tolerance policy to this cankerworm at the local and international levels," said Obasanjo, who also chairs the African Union, adding: "For this to happen, cooperation between developed and developing countries is essential."
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