woodworm

[ wood-wurm ]

noun

1. a worm or larva that breeds in or bores into wood.

woodworm

/ ˈwʊdˌwɜːm /

noun

1. any of various insect larvae that bore into wooden furniture, beams, etc, esp the larvae of the furniture beetle, Anobium punctatum, and the deathwatch beetle
2. the condition caused in wood by any of these larvae

Word History and Origins

Origin of woodworm¹

First recorded in 1530–40; wood ¹ + worm

Example Sentences

Similarly, some items in his collection became contaminated with mildew, woodworm or worse — asbestos, mercury and radioactivity.

From New York Times

They get elected and then, like woodworms, burrow into legal institutions and eat them away from within.

From Salon

She checks paintings and wooden frames for warping, flaking paint and the first signs of woodworms.

From New York Times

But he exhorted the cardinals, known as the “princes of the church,” to be on guard against the “cancer, the woodworm, of worldly spirituality.”

From Washington Times

But he exhorted the cardinals, who known as “princes of the church,” to be on guard against the “cancer, the woodworm of worldly spirituality.”

From Seattle Times