glowworm
3
6.7
- noun
- /ˈɡloʊˌwɜrm/
:
luciérnaga
- Only they're bioluminescent, like fireflies or glowworms.
- a little glowworm
- glowworm cave
- fireflies and glowworms
Examples
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You've seen fireflies, Madam, and glowworms and forms of life in the sea that generate their own light?
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Although many of us have encountered bioluminescent organisms (e.g., fireflies, glowworms, and fungi), we do not necessarily understand what makes them glow and why.
Academic text (2003) -
Would the glowworm trade her spark for the latest Dunhill lighter?
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Her experience shone like a magical glowworm in the darkness of my thoughts.
Fiction book (1992) -
First the glowworms gave a torchlight parade, and then the lightning bugs cut all sorts of fiery capers in the air; they circled and made figure-eights.
Fiction book (1999) -
In the dark cave, the walls sparkled like stars, illuminated by countless glowworms.
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The children watched in awe as the glowworms lit up the forest at night.
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While hiking, we discovered a hidden area filled with glowworms providing a beautiful display in the darkness.
Synonyms
33
1.3
A small beetle that makes a soft light in its tail at night
4
2.8
A small insect that makes a soft light at night
How Bright
33
1.3
3
6.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word glowworm joins glow ('light') and worm ('small crawling creature'), so it simply names a little creature that shines in the dark. Today it usually means the glowing young insect or wingless adult female of some beetles, not a true worm.