英语词汇teredo的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

teredo; shipworm. From time immemorial the sharp-toothed teredo, or shipworm, which eats its life away, has been gnawing gluttonously at ships, piers, jetties, and every other wooden ob- ject man has dared to leave in the water for any appreciable pe- riod. This masticating mollusk of the genus Teredo has in the process caused damage amounting to billions of dollars. In San Francisco Bay, from 1917 to 1921, to cite just one example, shipworms damaged wharves and piers to the cash register tune of over $25 million, taking their rightful place beside the termite, the furniture beetle, and the death-watch beetle as one of nature’s finest demolition experts. In 1733 the British scien- tist Godfrey Sellers proved that the teredo is a bivalve mollusk, although it differs widely from clams, oysters, and other mem- bers of that group. Since then scientists have preferred to call the shipworm by its Latin generic name, Teredo, which comes from the Greek for “to rub hard, wear away, bore.” The reputa- tion of these teredos can be seen in the many mentions of their name in England, that great maritime nation. One English poli- tician called the opposition “teredos of every plank in the Ship of State.” See gribble.

词汇	teredo
词源	teredo; shipworm. From time immemorial the sharp-toothed teredo, or shipworm, which eats its life away, has been gnawing gluttonously at ships, piers, jetties, and every other wooden ob- ject man has dared to leave in the water for any appreciable pe- riod. This masticating mollusk of the genus Teredo has in the process caused damage amounting to billions of dollars. In San Francisco Bay, from 1917 to 1921, to cite just one example, shipworms damaged wharves and piers to the cash register tune of over $25 million, taking their rightful place beside the termite, the furniture beetle, and the death-watch beetle as one of nature’s finest demolition experts. In 1733 the British scien- tist Godfrey Sellers proved that the teredo is a bivalve mollusk, although it differs widely from clams, oysters, and other mem- bers of that group. Since then scientists have preferred to call the shipworm by its Latin generic name, Teredo, which comes from the Greek for “to rub hard, wear away, bore.” The reputa- tion of these teredos can be seen in the many mentions of their name in England, that great maritime nation. One English poli- tician called the opposition “teredos of every plank in the Ship of State.” See gribble.
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