Dictionary

glowworm en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English glouworm; equivalent to glow + worm. Compare cognate German Glühwurm; compare also firefly, lightning bug, and lanternfly.

Meanings

1. The larva or wingless grub-like female of a beetle from the families Phengodidae or Lampyridae that gives out a green light from its abdomen.
   • Ye Glo-worms, whose officious Flame To wandring Mowers shows the way, That in the Night have lost their aim, And after foolish Fires do stray; 1681, Andrew Marvell, “The Mower to the Glo-Worms”, in Miscellaneous Poems, London: Robert Boulter, page 44:
   • 1604, William Alexander, The Alexandraean Tragedie, Act V, Scene 2, in The Monarchicke Tragedies, London: Ed. Blount, 1607, Some things afarre doe like the Glow-worme shine, That lookt to neere haue of that light no signe.
   • 1819, William Wordsworth, “The Waggoner” Canto 1, in The Miscellaneous Poems of William Wordsworth, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown, 1820, p. 7, Confiding Glow-worms, ’tis a night Propitious to your earth-born light!
   • Young girls lie bedded soft or glide in their dreams, with rings and trousseaux, bridesmaided by glowworms down the aisles of the organplaying wood. 1954, Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood […] , New York: New Directions, page 1:
   • The glowworm shows the matin to be near And ’gins to pale his uneffectual fire. Adieu, adieu, adieu! Remember me. c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]:
   • Glories (like glowe-wormes) a farre off, shine bright, But look’d to neere, haue neither heate, nor light. 1612–1613 (date written), John Webster, The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy. […], London: […] Nicholas Okes, for Iohn Waterson, […], published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the page):
2. (Australia, New-Zealand) A carnivorous gnat larva in the keroplatid genus Arachnocampa that spins threads to capture insects attracted by its glow.

Forms

Coordinates

glow fly

Deriveds

common glowworm

Relateds

GloFish · firefly

Translations (58)

ta கண்ணாம் பூச்சி (beetle larva or female) · gl lucecú (beetle larva or female) · izh tulimato (beetle larva or female) · de Johanniskäfer (beetle larva or female) · ta அலத்தி (beetle larva or female) · te మిణుగురుపురుగు (beetle larva or female) · gl vagalume (beetle larva or female) · pl świetlik (beetle larva or female) · rup licurici (beetle larva or female) · ar يَرَاع (beetle larva or female) · eu ipurtargi (beetle larva or female) · vi đom đóm (beetle larva or female) · io lampiro (beetle larva or female) · hu szentjánosbogár (beetle larva or female) · izh hiirenvalkia (beetle larva or female) · nrf vèrpeu (beetle larva or female) · cy pryf y tân (beetle larva or female) · izh jaanimato (beetle larva or female) · pt vaga-lume (beetle larva or female) · ta மின்மினி (beetle larva or female) · ml മിന്നാമിനുങ്ങ് (beetle larva or female) · be святляк (beetle larva or female) · tr ateş böceği (beetle larva or female) · ast guxán de lluz (beetle larva or female) · ar حَبَاحِب (beetle larva or female) · ru светля́к (beetle larva or female) · mi pūrātoke (beetle larva or female) · de Johanniswürmchen (beetle larva or female) · nds Glimmerworm (beetle larva or female) · grc λαμπυρίς (beetle larva or female) · pl robaczek świętojański (beetle larva or female) · cmn 螢火蟲 /萤火虫 (beetle larva or female) · la lampyris (beetle larva or female) · eo lampiro (beetle larva or female) · ta ஞலவல் (beetle larva or female) · de Glühwürmchen (beetle larva or female) · ast cocu de lluz (beetle larva or female) · ru жук-светля́к (beetle larva or female) · grc πυγολαμπίς (beetle larva or female) · ro licurici (beetle larva or female) · es luciérnaga (beetle larva or female) · nl glimworm (beetle larva or female) · ta சிலமீலிகை (beetle larva or female) · myv орине (beetle larva or female) · ota آتش بوجكی (beetle larva or female) · ccc puulo (beetle larva or female) · ja グローワーム (beetle larva or female) · ja ツチボタル (beetle larva or female) · fi kiiltomato (beetle larva or female) · et jaaniuss (beetle larva or female) · de Leuchtkäfer (beetle larva or female) · fr ver luisant (beetle larva or female) · ota یلدز بوجكی (beetle larva or female) · ca lluerna (beetle larva or female) · ta மின்மினிப் பூச்சி (beetle larva or female) · mi titiwai (beetle larva or female) · cy magïen (beetle larva or female) · ta கீடமணி (beetle larva or female)