woodworm

[ wood-wurm ]

/ ˈwʊdˌwɜrm /

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noun

a worm or larva that breeds in or bores into wood.

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Origin of woodworm

First recorded in 1530–40; wood¹ + worm

Words nearby woodworm

wood-wool, wood woollyfoot, woodwork, woodworker, woodworking, woodworm, woody, woodyard, woody nightshade, woof, woofer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use woodworm in a sentence

Because, i' faith, the woodworm has split them both from the bottom.
The Captiva and The Mostellaria|Plautus
It will be noted in the reproduction that the sphere is well shot through by the industrious book- or woodworm.
Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Vol I|Edward Luther Stevenson
Even our dull ears can detect the woodworm, but we cannot locate him.
The Woodpeckers|Fannie Hardy Eckstorm

British Dictionary definitions for woodworm

woodworm

/ (ˈwʊdˌwɜːm) /

noun

any of various insect larvae that bore into wooden furniture, beams, etc, esp the larvae of the furniture beetle, Anobium punctatum, and the deathwatch beetle

the condition caused in wood by any of these larvae

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