A wormhole is a hole made by a worm, or hypothetically, a tunnel connecting distant points in space-time. The term has been used since Shakespearean times.
Wormhole (noun) refers to a hole made by a worm or, in physics, a hypothetical tunnel connecting distant points in space-time. The term has been used since Shakespeare's time.
| Word | wormhole |
|---|---|
| Date | December 30, 2015 |
| Type | noun |
| Syllables | WERM-hohl |
| Etymology | If you associate wormhole with quantum physics and sci-fi, you'll probably be surprised to learn that the word has been around since Shakespeare's day—although, admittedly, he used it more literally than most modern writers. To Shakespeare, a wormhole was simply a hole made by a worm, a more down-to-earth sense which is still used today. But even the Bard subtly linked wormholes to the passage of time; for example, in The Rape of Lucrece, he notes time's destructive power "to fill with worm-holes stately monuments." To modern astrophysicists, a wormhole isn't a tunnel wrought by a slimy invertebrate but a theoretical tunnel between two black holes or other points in space-time, providing a shortcut between its end points. |
| Examples | Some science fiction writers speculate that wormholes will become the intergalactic highways of the future. "Sci-fi fans who hope humanity can one day zoom to distant corners of the universe via wormholes, as astronauts do in the recent film 'Interstellar,' shouldn't hold their breath." — Mike Wall, Space.com, 24 Nov. 2014 |
| Definition | 1 : a hole or passage burrowed by a worm 2 : a hypothetical structure of space-time envisioned as a long thin tunnel connecting points that are separated in space and time |
Tags: wordoftheday::noun
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