Etymograph

English

shipworm

From ship + worm.

A compound of ship + worm

Proto-Germanic *skipą ‘ship’

Proto-West Germanic *skip

Old English sċip

Middle English chip

English ship

Proto-Indo-European *wr̥mis

Proto-Germanic *wurmiz

Proto-West Germanic *wurmi

Old English weorm

Middle English werm

English worm

Today it means

noun Any of several wormlike marine molluscs (not true worms) of the family Teredinidae that bore through the wooden hulls of ships and other woody material immersed in salt water; specifically, the naval shipworm or turu (Teredo navalis), the type species of the genus Teredo.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “shipworm”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / shipworm