Meanings
plural slowworms · alternative slow worm · alternative slow-worm
- A small Old World lizard, Anguis fragilis, often mistaken for a snake, having no legs and small eyes.
Well, sir, it may be we shall have some better orations of it anon: well, Ile watch you as narrowly as ever you were watcht, and Ile play with you as the nightingale with the slowworme;[…]
c. 1588, Robert Greene, “Scene Eleventh. Frier Bacons cell.”, in The Honorable Historie of Frier Bacon and Frier BongaySynonyms: blindworm, deaf adder, hazelworm, long-cripple, steelworm
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA small Old World lizard, Anguis fragilis, often mistaken for a snake, having no legs and small eyes.
More synonyms by meaning
nounsmall burrowing legless European lizard with tiny eyes; popularly believed to be blind
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Englishslāwyrm“slow-worm, blindworm”
- Middle Englishsloworm
- Englishslowworm
From Middle English sloworm (possibly influenced by slow), from Old English slāwyrm (“slow-worm, blindworm”), from *slā, related to Norwegian slo (“slow-worm”), Swedish slå (“slow-worm”) + wyrm (“worm, snake”). Compare Swedish ormslå.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Basque ziraun
- ziraunAnguis fragilis
Bulgarian слепок
- слепок (slepok)Anguis fragilis
Catalan vidriol, serp de vidre
- vidriolAnguis fragilis
- serp de vidreAnguis fragilis
- noiaAnguis fragilis
- llisonaAnguis fragilis
Czech slepýš
- slepýšAnguis fragilis
Dutch hazelworm
- hazelwormAnguis fragilis
Esperanto angviso
- angvisoAnguis fragilis
Estonian vaskuss
- vaskussAnguis fragilis
Finnish vaskitsa
- vaskitsaAnguis fragilis
French orvet
- orvetAnguis fragilis
German Blindschleiche, Haselwurm
- BlindschleicheAnguis fragilis
- HaselwurmAnguis fragilis
- HartwurmAnguis fragilis
Hungarian lábatlan gyík
- lábatlan gyíkAnguis fragilis
Irish earcán, earcán caoch
- earcánAnguis fragilis
- earcán caochAnguis fragilis
Italian orbettino
- orbettinoAnguis fragilis
Korean 유럽무족도마뱀
- 유럽무족도마뱀 (yureommujokdomabaem)Anguis fragilis
Norwegian Bokmål stålorm
- stålormAnguis fragilis
Persian کلمره
- کلمرهAnguis fragilis
Polish padalec
- padalecAnguis fragilis
Portuguese licranço, cobra-de-vidro
- licrançoAnguis fragilis
- cobra-de-vidroAnguis fragilis
- licançoAnguis fragilis
- alicançoAnguis fragilis
Romanian năpârcă
- năpârcăAnguis fragilis
Russian верете́ница
- верете́ница (vereténica)Anguis fragilis
Scottish Gaelic nathair-challtainn
- nathair-challtainnAnguis fragilis
Spanish lución, enánago
- luciónAnguis fragilis
- enánagoAnguis fragilis
- culebrilla de cristalAnguis fragilis
Swedish blindorm, blindödla
- blindormAnguis fragilis
- blindödlaAnguis fragilis
- kopparormAnguis fragilis
- kopparödlaAnguis fragilis
- näderAnguis fragilis
- nädraAnguis fragilis
- ormslåAnguis fragilis
Turkish yılanımsı kertenkele
- yılanımsı kertenkeleAnguis fragilis
Welsh madfall, neidr ddefaid
- madfallAnguis fragilis
- neidr ddefaidAnguis fragilis
Cite this entry
slowworm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slowworm
“slowworm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slowworm. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “slowworm,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slowworm.
Source: slowworm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.