Definition of "cankerworm" []

• The larva of either of two moths (Paleacrita vernata or Alsophila pometaria), destructive to fruit and shade trees. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The "cankerworm," or licking locust, answers to the"
• "This light issue is a cankerworm that has eatendeep into our economy, social life and every other ting you can think of!!"
• "Like a cankerworm it has eaten deeply in the society and finally been accepted by the same society."