shipworm

[ ship-wurm ]

/ ˈʃɪpˌwɜrm /

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noun

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

Words nearby shipworm

ship's store, ship's stores, ships that pass in the night, ship-to-shore, shipway, shipworm, shipwreck, shipwright, shipyard, shiralee, Shiraz

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How to use shipworm in a sentence

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

/ (ˈʃɪpˌwɜːm) /

noun

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

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