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Showing results for caecilian. Search instead for caeciliidae.
Synonyms

caecilian

American  
[see-sil-ee-uhn] / siˈsɪl i ən /

noun

  1. Also called blindworm.  a legless, wormlike tropical amphibian of the order Gymnophiona (formerly Apoda), spending most of its life underground and usually almost blind.

adjective

  1. pertaining to or characteristic of a caecilian.

caecilian British  
/ siːˈsɪlɪən /

noun

  1. any tropical limbless cylindrical amphibian of the order Apoda (or Gymnophiona ), resembling earthworms and inhabiting moist soil

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of caecilian

1875–80; < Latin caecili ( a ) blindworm + -an

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

After 17 minutes of observation, the losing coral snake released its bite-hold on the caecilian.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2024

“It’s like they’re from another planet,” said Carlos Jared, a caecilian researcher at the Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, and an author of the study.

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2024

Dating 220 million back to the Triassic period, Funcusvermis is the oldest type of caecilian ever discovered.

From Washington Times • Jan. 26, 2023

The Cayenne caecilian, in this journalist's opinion, produced sounds a bit like exaggerated yet strangely half-hearted armpit farts, while the mata mata turtle almost sounded like a purring cat.

From Salon • Nov. 9, 2022

Less likely, the caecilian known to the natives at Chinaj� is Gymnopis oligozona, which is known from Finca Volc�n on the southern slopes of the valley of the R�o Cahab�n in Alta Verapaz.

From Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rainforests of Southern El Peten, Guatemala by Duellman, William E.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.