glowworm
Americannoun
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the wingless female or larva of the European beetle, Lampyris noctiluca, which emits a sustained greenish light.
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any of various other beetle larvae or wingless females that emit a glow rather than a flash of light.
Etymology
Origin of glowworm
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.
It licked his wrist, and the saliva shone like a glowworm on his skin.
From Literature
For visitors to New Zealand, the chance to see a haka, the ceremonial Maori dance, has long been as much a part of the country’s allure as its glaciers, geysers and glowworm caves.
From New York Times
But here, the bioluminescence is turquoise like the glowworm caves in New Zealand.
From Literature
“My coworker is screaming from her crib because she doesn’t have her glowworm.”
From The Guardian
“A number of different studies have shown that artificial light in a glowworm habitat actually prevents the males from finding the females,” Lewis said.
From Washington Post
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.
