bloodworm

American  

[bluhd-wurm] / ˈblʌdˌwɜrm /

noun

1. any of several red or red-blooded annelid worms, especially various earthworms.

2. the freshwater larva of midges.

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bloodworm British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of bloodworm

First recorded in 1735–45; blood + worm

Example Sentences

The photo shows a swimming annelid known as a bloodworm.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The bloodworm has a tubular body that tapers at each end.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Salt water worms are of two principal varieties, the smooth-sided bloodworm, which stings, and the fringed sandworm, which pinches.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last season's menagerie ranged from an 8-ft.-tall bloodworm with carnivorous tastes to a woman who turned into a gigantic honeybee and flew off with her reluctant lover.

From Time Magazine Archive

To catch bait, I use a two-hook bottom rig sweetened with a slice of squid, a chunk of bloodworm or a sliver of Fish Bites.

From Time Magazine Archive