Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🦎 A legless lizard 🪱 A limbless amphibian
blindworm

blindworm

9.9
A small limbless animal like a worm that lives under wet soil in the tropics
  • noun
  • /blaɪndwɜrm/
  • Indian
translation icon : cecílido
  • The scientist carefully unearthed a blindworm while studying animals in the rainforest.

Examples

  • Because a blindworm has no limbs, it moves through wet soil with ease.

  • The blindworm slithered through the moist soil.

  • Blindworms are often mistaken for worms or snakes because of their appearance and burrowing habits.

  • I spotted a blindworm in the garden.

  • The scientist carefully unearthed a blindworm while studying animals in the rainforest.

  • Blindworms are often mistaken for worms or snakes because of their appearance and burrowing habits.

  • Because a blindworm has no limbs, it moves through wet soil with ease.

Synonyms

caecilian
vsblindworm
  • Specialized
9.9

A small limbless amphibian that burrows in moist tropical soil

is identical in meaning but uses slightly different wording in its description

Surface Forms

blindworm singular
blindworms plural

Morphology

blindworm = blind + worm (semi-transparent) = blind + worm

The components 'blind' + 'worm' are transparent, but the referent is an amphibian (caecilian), so the taxonomic reality differs from the literal 'worm' and may mislead learners.

Etymology

Blindworm comes from blind ('not able to see') and worm (from old wyrm, 'worm' or 'snake'), so people used it for small, legless creatures that look like worms. So the name fits the small animal with no legs that lives and burrows in wet soil today.