SHIPWORM

shipworm, teredinid

(noun) wormlike marine bivalve that bores into wooden piers and ships by means of drill-like shells

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

shipworm (plural shipworms)

Any of several wormlike marine mollusks (not true worms) of the family Teredinidae, that bore through the wooden hulls of ships and other woody material immersed in salt water.

Hyponyms

• (molluscs in Teredinidae): Kuphus polythalamia (giant tube worm)

Source: Wiktionary

Ship"worm`, n. (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any long, slender, worm-shaped bivalve mollusk of Teredo and allied genera. The shipworms burrow in wood, and are destructive to wooden ships, piles of wharves, etc. See Teredo.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition