shipworm

[ship-wurm]

noun

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

shipworm

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of shipworm¹

First recorded in 1770–80; ship ¹ + worm

Example Sentences

How then do shipworms do what they do?

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Dr. Distel’s main focus is shipworms, a group of clams that tunnel through waterlogged wood, and that may be a source for new antibiotics.

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Wild shipworms are eaten in the Philippines -- either raw, or battered and fried like calamari.

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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.

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The only part of the shipworm that extends beyond the wood are two siphons the animal uses to breathe and to expel waste.

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