bloodworm

[ bluhd-wurm ]

noun

1. any of several red or red-blooded annelid worms, especially various earthworms.
2. the freshwater larva of midges.

bloodworm

/ ˈblʌdˌwɜːm /

noun

1. the red wormlike aquatic larva of the midge, Chironomus plumosus , which lives at the bottom of stagnant pools and ditches
2. a freshwater oligochaete tubifex worm
3. any of several small reddish worms used as angling bait

Word History and Origins

Origin of bloodworm¹

First recorded in 1735–45; blood + worm

Example Sentences

Not all of the bloodworm’s mysteries are solved: Little is understood about how the organism first evolved this system and how copper is handled within the worm’s body.

From New York Times

“It was like a sewer. No one wanted to be there—not even bloodworms,” she said.

From The New Yorker

Her intense, often color-saturated photographs pulse with spellbinding strangeness: squids, jellies and nudibranchs; whelks, bloodworms and drupes; conches, urchins and chitons.

From New York Times

They received special care and were fed a diet of bloodworm and shrimp and are now on display to the public.

From Children's BBC

The one-week-old turtles are now receiving special care and are being fed a diet of bloodworm and shrimp before they go on display to the public next week.

From Children's BBC