redworm

See also: red worm

English

Etymology

From red +‎ worm.

Noun

redworm (plural redworms)

1. A type of small, reddish earthworm, Lumbricus rubellus, used as bait in angling; also, in later use, the brandling, Eisenia foetida. [from 15th c.]
   • 1970, Donald Harington, Lightning Bug:

     It could have been that you rose just before dawn and quickly tended your chores then dug a bucket of redworms out of the compost pile and pulled your cane pole out from under the porch and took off, up the creek.

2. A parasitic worm of the family Strongylidae, which causes anaemia in many vertebrates. [from 19th c.]