glowworm

[ gloh-wurm ]

/ ˈgloʊˌwɜrm /

noun

the wingless female or larva of the European beetle, Lampyris noctiluca, which emits a sustained greenish light.

any of various other beetle larvae or wingless females that emit a glow rather than a flash of light.

QUIZZES

Discover The Influence Of Portuguese On English Via This Quiz!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?

Question 1 of 11

Which of the following bird names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

crow

piranha

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby glowworm

glow-worm, glower, glowfly, glowing, glowstick, glowworm, gloxinia, gloze, glu, glubb, gluc-

Origin of glowworm

1300–50; Middle English. See glow, worm

Example sentences from the Web for glow-worm

There was nothing now in the world but himself and this glow-worm wandering across his hand.
Guy and Pauline|Compton Mackenzie
The frequency with which the Glow-worm was being laid up for repairs was beginning to get on our nerves.
The Campfire Girls Go Motoring|Hildegard G. Frey
He could not desire the star and find solace in the glow-worm—pursue Isolde and lag by the way with Moll Flanders.
Robert Orange|John Oliver Hobbes
In about a couple of days, my prisoner, but lately injured by the Glow-worm's treachery, is restored to his normal state.
The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles|Jean Henri Fabre

Did it go out like the glow-worm's lamp, the life and sweetness of the flower?
Afoot in England|W.H. Hudson

British Dictionary definitions for glow-worm

glow-worm

noun

a European beetle, Lampyris noctiluca, the females and larvae of which bear luminescent organs producing a greenish light: family Lampyridae

any of various other beetles or larvae of the family Lampyridae