teredo

[ tuh-ree-doh ]

/ təˈri doʊ /

a shipworm of the genus Teredo.

Origin of teredo

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

Teredo sive exiguus vermiculus, qui subter cutim erodit agitque cuniculos in pruriginosis manibus.

An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. I (of 4) |William Kirby
Besides these esthetic conditions, wooden piles were rejected because the teredo, in this part of the Sound, is very active.

Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, vol. LXX, Dec. 1910 |Eugene Klapp
It is light, very strong, resists sea-worm (Teredo navalis) entirely, and effects of climate.

The Philippine Islands |John Foreman
Like a great many other mollusks, the teredo passes through a kind of caterpillar stage before it reaches its perfect form.

The Animal World, A Book of Natural History |Theodore Wood

The teredo or shipworm was a serious peril in the days before the sheathing of ships.

Days of the Discoverers |L. Lamprey

teredo

/ (tɛˈriːdəʊ) /

any marine bivalve mollusc of the genus Teredo See shipworm

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