glowworm
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.
Origin of glowworm
1Words Nearby glowworm
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use glowworm in a sentence
A glowworm is not discerned in the sunshine, though it glister in the dark.
A Christian Directory (Volume 1 of 4) | Richard BaxterEvery body probably knows, that the male glowworm is a winged, erratic animal, yet may not have seen him.
Should the sun beg from the glowworm, and should the momentary spark excite the envy of the source of light?
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 6 (of 12) | Robert G. IngersollShe looked down the dusky lanes, where glowworm lanterns began to bob and wink.
Dragon's blood | Henry Milner RideoutWith a slim rubber band he fastened a match across the double barrels at the front sight and beneath this placed a glowworm.
The Three Sapphires | W. A. Fraser
British Dictionary definitions for glow-worm
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
- See also firefly (def. 1)
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
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