teredo

[ tuh-ree-doh ]

noun,plural te·re·dos, te·re·di·nes

[tuh-reed-n-eez]. /təˈrid nˌiz/.

a shipworm of the genus Teredo.

Origin of teredo

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin terēdō<Greek terēdṓn wood-boring worm

Words Nearby teredo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use teredo in a sentence

Did the deadly teredo bore the ship's timbers full of holes, until she went down with all on board?
South American Fights and Fighters | Cyrus Townsend Brady
A ship returning from the tropics brought with it, it is supposed, some tiny little shell-fish, the teredo navalis.
Little Folks (November 1884) | Various
A salt-water creature very destructive to shipping and the wharves is the teredo, or ship-worm.
Stories of California | Ella M. Sexton
Other ship worms belong to the genus teredo, and are very similar in general characters.
The Sea Shore | William S. Furneaux
They here remained until the 23rd, endeavouring to repair their vessels, which were fearfully pierced by the teredo.
Notable Voyagers | W.H.G. Kingston and Henry Frith

British Dictionary definitions for teredo

teredo

/ (tɛˈriːdəʊ) /

nounplural -dos or -dines (-dɪˌniːz)

any marine bivalve mollusc of the genus Teredo: See shipworm

Origin of teredo

C17: via Latin from Greek terēdōn wood-boring worm; related to Greek tetrainein to pierce

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

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