shipworm
noun [ C ] uk/ˈʃɪp.wɜːm/ us/ˈʃɪp.wɜ˞ːm/ shipworms or shipworm (also teredo, uk/təˈriː.dəʊ/ /təˈriː.doʊ/)
船蛆
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. 住在沿海小镇的人开始注意到，蛀船虫正在吞噬他们的码头。
- 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.