wormhole
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a theoretical shortcut through space that could allow people to travel to distant stars very quickly.
n.a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would fundamentally act as a shortcut, connecting two distant points.
Simple“In the movie, the spaceship travels through a wormhole to reach another galaxy in seconds.”
In context“Theoretical physicists continue to debate whether a stable wormhole could actually exist without collapsing under its own gravitational forces.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a small hole in wood, fruit, or old books made by a worm or insect.
n.a small tunnel or cavity burrowed into a substance, such as timber or fruit, by a larva or worm.
Simple“The antique table was full of tiny wormholes, showing its great age.”
In context“The presence of numerous wormholes in the structural beams suggested a long-standing infestation that had compromised the integrity of the roof.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.a specific place in a computer program where a programmer can change how the software works.
n.a location in a monitor or system program containing the address of a routine, allowing for the substitution of alternative functionality.
Simple“The developer used a wormhole to redirect the program to a custom debugging routine.”
In context“By exploiting a wormhole in the legacy monitor code, the engineers were able to patch the system without a full reboot.”
Synonymshookentry point - 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to make many small holes or tunnels in something.
v.to create a porous or permeable structure through the formation of small holes or tunnels.
Simple“Over the centuries, water had wormholed the soft limestone until it was full of gaps.”
In context“The acid rain had effectively wormholed the surface of the monument, leaving the marble vulnerable to further erosion.”
First use appears c. 1594. From worm + hole. In the scientific sense, introduced by John Archibald Wheeler in 1957.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.