slowworm

slowworm
/sloh"werrm'/, n.
blindworm (def. 2).
[bef. 900; SLOW + WORM; r. ME slowerm, slowurme, OE slawerm, slawyrm, equiv. to sla- (cf. dial. Sw slo, Norw slo slowworm) + wyrm worm]

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lizard
also called  blindworm 

      a legless lizard of the family Anguidae. It lives in grassy areas and open woodlands from Great Britain and Europe eastward to the Urals (Ural Mountains) and Caspian Sea. Adults reach 40 to 45 cm (16 to 18 inches) in body length, but the tail can be up to two times the length from snout to vent. External limbs and girdles are absent, and only a remnant of the pelvic girdle persists internally. Its elongated body form, combined with an absence of limbs, gives the slowworm its snakelike appearance. Unlike snakes (snake), however, slowworms have ear (animal development) openings and eyelids (eyelid).

      The diet of A. fragilis is made up of snails (snail), slugs (slug), earthworms (earthworm), other soft-bodied invertebrates (invertebrate), and some vertebrates (vertebrate). They are live-bearers that mate in spring and give birth to 8 to 12 young in late summer (see glass snake (glass lizard)).

George R. Zug
 

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • slowworm — [slōwʉrm΄] n. [altered (by assoc. with SLOW) < ME slaworme < OE slawyrm < sla , akin to Norw slo, slowworm, ult. < IE base * (s)lei , slimy (> LIME1, Gr leimax, snail) + OE wyrm, WORM] BLINDWORM …   English World dictionary

  • Slowworm — Slow worm , n. [AS. sl[=a]wyrm; the first part is probably akin to sle[ a]n to strike, the reptile being supposed to be very poisonous. See {Slay}, v. t., and {Worm}.] (Zo[ o]l.) A lecertilian reptile; the blindworm. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • slowworm — noun small burrowing legless European lizard with tiny eyes; popularly believed to be blind • Syn: ↑blindworm, ↑Anguis fragilis • Hypernyms: ↑anguid lizard • Member Holonyms: ↑Anguis, ↑genus Anguis * * * …   Useful english dictionary

  • slowworm — noun Etymology: Middle English sloworm, from Old English slāwyrm, from slā (akin to Swedish slå earthworm) + wyrm worm Date: before 12th century a burrowing limbless European lizard (Anguis fragilis) with small eyes called also blindworm …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • slowworm — noun A small Old World lizard, Anguis fragilis, that has no legs and small eyes. Syn: blindworm …   Wiktionary

  • slowworm — slow·worm …   English syllables

  • slowworm — slow•worm [[t]ˈsloʊˌwɜrm[/t]] n. ram blindworm • Etymology: bef. 900 …   From formal English to slang

  • Anguis fragilis — Taxobox name = Anguis fragilis image width = 250px regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata subphylum = Vertebrata classis = Reptilia ordo = Squamata familia = Anguidae genus = Anguis species = A. fragilis binomial = Anguis fragilis binomial authority …   Wikipedia

  • Anguis fragilis — Blindworm Blind worm , n. (Zo[ o]l.) A small, burrowing, snakelike, limbless lizard ({Anguis fragilis}), with minute eyes, popularly believed to be blind; the slowworm; formerly a name for the adder. [1913 Webster] Newts and blindworms do no… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Blindworm — Blind worm , n. (Zo[ o]l.) A small, burrowing, snakelike, limbless lizard ({Anguis fragilis}), with minute eyes, popularly believed to be blind; the slowworm; formerly a name for the adder. [1913 Webster] Newts and blindworms do no wrong. Shak.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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