Nematodes (Noun) : Any of a phylum of elongated cylindrical worms parasitic in animals or plants or free living in soil or water.

” This is the ultimate polis, through which humans move like nematodes” – Charles McGrath

I assumed it was a science related word because McGrath used it to describe movement in humans. I encountered the word in the reading from A Literary Visitor Strolls In From the Airport by Charles McGrath on the fourth page in the first paragraph.