giant northwest shipworm

9.9

A large sea animal like a worm that bores into wood under water

noun

: teredo gigante

The giant northwest shipworm can cause significant damage to wooden structures in the ocean.

Examples

Scientists recently discovered a colony of giant northwest shipworm off the coast of Washington.
Did you know that the giant northwest shipworm can grow up to three feet long?
Fishermen are concerned about the impact of the giant northwest shipworm on docks and piers.
The giant northwest shipworm is fascinating to marine biologists.
Fishermen are concerned about the impact of the giant northwest shipworm on docks and piers.
The giant northwest shipworm can cause significant damage to wooden structures in the ocean.
Did you know that the giant northwest shipworm can grow up to three feet long?

Synonyms

Bankia setaceae

vsgiant northwest shipworm

Specialized

9.9

A long sea animal that makes holes in wood under the water on the Pacific coast

is the general common label used for the same creature along that coast

Surface Forms

giant northwest shipworm singular

giant northwest shipworms plural

Morphology

giant + northwest + shipworm

The compound is fully compositional: 'giant' (very large) and 'northwest' (geographic region) straightforwardly modify 'shipworm' (a marine bivalve that bores into wood), so the phrase denotes a very large shipworm found in the northwest. This follows standard adjective + noun composition and would be directly inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Giant northwest shipworm is a name that shows what it is and where it lives: a shipworm is actually a long sea animal that makes holes in wood ('to bore into wood'), and giant and northwest tell you it is a very large kind found on the northwest coast. So the name helps you remember that this creature bores into docks and wooden ships and can cause a lot of damage.