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The larva of any one of numerous species of bombycid moths, which spins a large amount of strong silk in constructing its cocoon before changing to a pupa.

Pertaining to, or obtained from, the silkworm; as, bombic acid.

Being of the color of the silkworm; transparent with a yellow tint. E. Darwin.

A genus of moths, which includes the silkworm moth. See Silkworm.

A ball or skein of thread; a cocoon. [Obs.] Silkworms finish their bottoms in . . . fifteen days. Mortimer.

y of them are popularly called worms, as the cutworm, cankerworm, army worm, cotton worm, silkworm.

A building or apartment for silkworms, when feeding and forming cocoons.

To make the noise of the cuckoo. [Obs. or R.] Constant cuckoos cook on every side. The Silkworms (1599).

A double cocoon, made by two silkworms.

A bacterial disease of silkworms, supposed to be due to eating contaminated mulberry leaves.

The sac of silk taken from a silkworm (when ready to spin its cocoon), for the purpose of drawing it out into a thread. This, when dry, is exceedingly strong, and is used as the snood of a fish line. Blind gut. See CÆcum, n. (b).

A disease which is very destructive to silkworms, and which sometimes extends to other insects. It is attended by the development of a fungus (provisionally called Botrytis bassiana). Also, the fungus itself.

An epidemic disease of the silkworm, characterized by the presence of minute vibratory corpuscles in the blood.

A very large American moth (Telea polyphemus) belonging to the Silkworm family (Bombycidæ). Its larva, which is very large, bright green, with silvery tubercles, and with oblique white stripes on the sides, feeds on the oak, chestnut, willow, cherry, apple, and other trees. It produces a large amount of strong silk. Ca…

A silk gland, as in the silkworms.

The raising of silkworms.

e. -- Silk gland (Zoöl.), a gland which secretes the material of silk, as in spider or a silkworm; a sericterium. -- Silk gown, the distinctive robe of a barrister who has been appointed king's or queen's counsel; hence, the counsel himself. Such a one has precedence over mere barristers, who wear stuff gowns. [Eng.]…

ent liquid, which hardens on coming into contact with the air; -- said of the spider, the silkworm, etc.

pinning gland (Zoöl.), one of the glands which form the material for spinning the silk of silkworms and other larvæ. -- Spinning house, formerly a common name for a house of correction in England, the women confined therein being employed in spinning. -- Spinning jenny (Mach.), an engine or machine for spinning wool…

A silk cloth made from the cocoons of a caterpillar other than the common silkworm, much used in Bengal and China.