worm lizard

Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

worm lizard

Any of various small legless burrowing reptiles of the suborder Amphisbaenia, having a wormlike body with scales arranged in rings and found worldwide in subtropical and tropical regions. Also called amphisbaenian.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

worm lizard

(Animals) any wormlike burrowing legless lizard of the family Amphisbaenidae, of Africa, South and Central America, and S Europe

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun

worm lizard - a lizard of the genus Amphisbaena; harmless wormlike limbless lizard of warm or tropical regions having concealed eyes and ears and a short blunt tail

lizard - relatively long-bodied reptile with usually two pairs of legs and a tapering tail

Amphisbaenia, genus Amphisbaena, genus Amphisbaenia, Amphisbaena - type genus of the Amphisbaenidae

Mentioned in ?

References in periodicals archive ?

The zoologists will also lay bucket traps and distribute leaflets to villagers offering rewards for a Deathworm specimen, which they believe is a giant worm lizard.

Strangeworld

This example is followed by four portraits of the four different types of reptiles: crocodylians, tuatara, lizards, worm lizards, and snakes, and turtles and tortoises.