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teredo
teredo, a bivalve mollusc, of the family Teredinidae, also known as a shipworm because of the damage they cause to any wood in the sea. They bore long cylindrical holes in the wood, digesting the wood they carve out. They have digestive enzymes that are able to break down cellulose; most other woodborers rely on symbiotic micro-organisms to break it down. The tunnel connects to the outside water via a tiny hole through which the teredo obtains the oxygen it needs. A fully grown teredo can be nearly a metre in length, and carve a hole 2.5 cm (1 in.) in diameter. They occur at all depths in all seas, but are most common in warmer seas. During the 18th century wooden-hulled vessels were clad with copper sheathing to prevent teredo infestations, which could cause catastrophic failure of the ship's timbers. Special paints have been developed which, when applied to the hulls of ships, deter both teredos and fouling organisms, but these have raised serious environmental issues and the International Maritime Organization has begun a process which will ban them.
M. V. Angel |
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Cite this article
"teredo." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "teredo." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-teredo.html "teredo." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-teredo.html |
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teredo
teredo boring mollusc, esp. ship-worm. XVII. — L. terēdō — Gr. terēdṓn, f. base *ter- of teírein rub hard, wear away, bore.
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "teredo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "teredo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-teredo.html T. F. HOAD. "teredo." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-teredo.html |
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teredo
teredo see shipworm . |
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Cite this article
"teredo." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "teredo." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-teredo.html "teredo." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-teredo.html |
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teredo
teredo
•foreshadow, shadow
•Faldo
•accelerando, bandeau, Brando, glissando, Orlando
•eyeshadow
•aficionado, amontillado, avocado, Bardo, Barnardo, bastinado, bravado, Colorado, desperado, Dorado, eldorado, incommunicado, Leonardo, Mikado, muscovado, Prado, renegado, Ricardo, stifado
•commando
•eddo, Edo, meadow
•crescendo, diminuendo, innuendo, kendo
•carbonado, dado, Feydeau, gambado, Oviedo, Toledo, tornado
•aikido, bushido, credo, Guido, Ido, libido, lido, speedo, teredo, torpedo, tuxedo
•widow • dildo • window
•Dido, Fido, Hokkaido
•condo, rondeau, rondo, secondo, tondo
•Waldo
•dodo, Komodo, Quasimodo
•escudo, judo, ludo, pseudo, testudo, Trudeau
•weirdo • sourdough • fricandeau
•tournedos • Murdo
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Cite this article
"teredo." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 13 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "teredo." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 13, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-teredo.html "teredo." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-teredo.html |
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