Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia 28. (töredék) [antikvár]

FUNK WAGNALLS NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA r ^ • WORM, any soft-bodied, usually small and often elongated animal lacking well-developed limbs. The term does not refer to any particular animal group, but is applied to many unrelated invertebrates or their larvae and to a few vertebrates. The major groups are discussed here. The familiar earthworm (q.v.) burrows in soil and feeds on dead materials, extracting organic matter from the soil. It is placed in the phylum Annelida {see Annelid) together with the bloodsucking leech (q.v.) and the largely marine bristle worm. These are animals of moderate complexity, with complete digestive tracts and a circulatory system. The flatworm (q.v.) phylum, Platyhelminthes, consists of simpler animals that lack an intestine, an anus, and a circulatory system. Some flat-worms are free-living and occur in the sea, fresh water, and moist land areas. A familiar example is the freshwater planarian, which crawls about and feeds on small animals. Others, such as the tapeworm and fluke (qq v,), live inside other animals. The bodies of these parasites tend to be degenerate in all parts except the reproductive system. The roundworm (q.v.) group, placed together with some less familiar worms in the superphy-lum Aschelminthes (q.v ). Is inconspicuous but common. Many roundworms are parasites of plants and animals, and some cause major health problems such as trichinosis and elephantiasis. Examples are the pinworm and hookworm (qq.v.). Many groups of worms occur only in the sea. The acorn worm (q.v.) has features that suggest a relationship to the chordate (q.v.) lineage. The arrowworm (q.v.) is a peculiar creature that feeds on small animals in the open water and is often abundant. The peanut worm (q.v.) is a distant cousin of the earthworm, and the ribbon worm (q.v.) is related to flatworms. Tube worms (see Tube Worm) belong to various groups and often feed with tentacles. M.T.G. WORMS, city, S central West Germany, in Rhine-land-Palatinate, a port on the Rhine R., near Mannheim. The surrounding region is celebrated for its vineyards, and a noted white wine, Lieb-fraumilch, is produced in the area. Important manufactures of Worms include machinery, worsteds, chemicals, and furniture. The city contains many points of interest, including the remains of medieval walls and fortifications. Prominent among the noteworthy edifices is a Romanesque cathedral (chiefly 12th-13th cent.), with an ornate Gothic portal dating from the 15th century. Additional landmarks include a synagogue, founded in the 11th century and rebuilt in 1961 after having been destroyed in 1938; and an impressive monument (1868) to Martin Luther. Early History. The site of Worms was occupied by the chief town of the Vangiones, one of the Germanic tribes. The Vangiones were eventually expelled from their town by the Romans, who called it Borbetomagus. On the site the Romans built a fort about 14 bc. In ad 412 the Romans transferred control of the town, then known as Augusta Vangiorum, to the Burgundians, another Germanic tribe, who made It the capital of their kingdom. Both the kingdom and capital were destroyed in 436 by invading Huns, led by Attila. A number of heroic legends that originated in the Burgundians' defense of their possessions were incorporated, during the early 13th century, into the Nibelungenlied, the greatest of the German national epics. In 486 Clovis I, ruler of the Salian Franks, constructed a new town on the site of the Burgundián capital and named it Wormatla. Worms, as the town became known, was soon established as an episcopal see. During the 10th and 11th centuries, the bishops of Worms acquired considerable political power. Popular dissatisfaction over this state of affairs brought the city into alliance with the Holy Roman emperors in their struggle wilh the church, and in the 12lh century 7