shipworm

American  

[ship-wurm] / ˈʃɪpˌwɜrm /

noun

1. any of various wormlike marine bivalve mollusks that burrow into the timbers of ship, wharves, etc.

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shipworm British  

/ ˈʃɪpˌwɜːm /

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 valves See also piddock

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Etymology

Origin of shipworm

First recorded in 1770–80; ship ¹ + worm

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shipworm

Furthermore, previous shipworm symbionts have proven to be a treasure trove of natural products -- such as novel anti-parasitic antibiotics -- which may have significant impacts on human health.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2024

Matters reached crisis-point in the early 1980s, when it was discovered that the enormous wooden piles which hold up the entire structure were infested with teredo shipworm.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2021

But even miniature crabs scampering from abandoned shipworm burrows or escaping Dr. Distel’s petri dishes help to better understand how the community of organisms functions within the underwater forest: a log has something for everyone.

From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2020

Hundreds of sharp invisible teeth cover the shells in the wood eater, but the rock-eating shipworm has just dozens of thicker, millimeter-size teeth that scrape away rock.

From Science Magazine ● Jun. 18, 2019

There was nothing of which the Norsemen were more afraid than of the teredo, or shipworm, which gnaws the wood of ships.

From Tales of the Enchanted Islands of the Atlantic by Thomas Wentworth Higginson