bloodworm

American  

[bluhd-wurm] / ˈblʌdˌwɜrm /

noun

1. any of several red or red-blooded annelid worms, especially various earthworms.

2. the freshwater larva of midges.

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bloodworm British  

/ ˈblʌdˌwɜːm /

noun

1. the red wormlike aquatic larva of the midge, Chironomus plumosus , which lives at the bottom of stagnant pools and ditches

2. a freshwater oligochaete tubifex worm

3. any of several small reddish worms used as angling bait

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Etymology

Origin of bloodworm

First recorded in 1735–45; blood + worm

Example Sentences

They are called bloodworms for their translucent skin.

From New York Times

“It was like a sewer. No one wanted to be there—not even bloodworms,” she said.

From The New Yorker

Her intense, often color-saturated photographs pulse with spellbinding strangeness: squids, jellies and nudibranchs; whelks, bloodworms and drupes; conches, urchins and chitons.

From New York Times

They received special care and were fed a diet of bloodworm and shrimp and are now on display to the public.

From Children's BBC

The one-week-old turtles are now receiving special care and are being fed a diet of bloodworm and shrimp before they go on display to the public next week.

From Children's BBC