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shipworm

[ship-wurm]
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noun
  1. any of various wormlike marine bivalve mollusks that burrow into the timbers of ship, wharves, etc.
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Origin of shipworm

First recorded in 1770–80; ship1 + worm
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for shipworm

Historical Examples

  • The teredo or shipworm was a serious peril in the days before the sheathing of ships.

    Days of the Discoverers

    L. Lamprey

British Dictionary definitions for shipworm

shipworm

noun
  1. any wormlike marine bivalve mollusc of the genus Teredo and related genera and family Teredinidae. They bore into wooden piers, ships, etc, by means of drill-like shell valvesSee also piddock
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012