shipwormnoun [ C ]
/ˈʃɪp.wɜːm//ˈʃɪp.wɜ˞ːm/plural shipworms or or shipworm also teredo, /təˈriː.dəʊ//təˈriː.doʊ/a type of mollusc (= a type of creature that has a soft body, no spine, and is often covered with a shell) that lives in the sea and that can damage wooden structures by making holes in them:
People in coastal towns began noticing that shipworms were eating through their docks.
More examples
- In 1980 an attack of shipworm on the Barmouth viaduct nearly forced the closure of the Cambrian Coast Line.
- Why shipworms are suddenly surviving in Maine in places where they haven't before is still an unanswered question.
- One of the most notorious for the damage it can cause to unprotected wooden boats and piers is the shipworm, Teredo.
- His ships were reduced to sponges by shipworm and eventually scuttled.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Sea creatures
- abalone
- amphipod
- barnacle
- bivalve
- cephalopod
- crab
- crayfish
- crustacean
- cuttlefish
- echinoderm
- mollusc
- mussel
- octopus
- oyster
- periwinkle
- shrimp
- squid
- starfish
- teredo
- trilobite
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