gribble

gribble
/grib"euhl/, n.
a small, marine isopod crustacean of the genus Limnoria that destroys submerged timber by boring into it.
[1830-40; perh. akin to GRUB]

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      any of the approximately 20 species of wood-boring, marine crustaceans constituting the genus Limnoria, in the order Isopoda. They feed on algae, driftwood, and the submerged wood of docks and wharves and sometimes attack the nonwoody insulation of submarine cables.

      Limnoria lignorum, which occurs throughout the seas of the Northern Hemisphere, grows to 5 mm (0.2 inch) in length and has a gray body consisting of 14 clearly defined segments. It burrows about 12 mm into wood. L. tripunctata occurs in the Atlantic Ocean from New England (U.S.) to Venezuela and in the Pacific Ocean from California to Mexico. It even penetrates wood that has been impregnated with creosote, an offensive chemical that repels most wood-boring invertebrates. L. pfefferi is found in the Pacific and Indian oceans; L. saseboensis is found on the Atlantic coast of the southeastern United States and on the coast of Japan.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gribble — Grib ble, n. [Cf. Prov. E. grib to bite.] (Zo[ o]l.) A small marine isopod crustacean ({Limnoria lignorum} or {Limnoria terebrans}), which burrows into and rapidly destroys submerged timber, such as the piles of wharves, both in Europe and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gribble — [grib′əl] n. [prob. dim. < base of GRUB] a small marine isopod (Limnoria lignorum) that bores into wooden objects under water and destroys them …   English World dictionary

  • Gribble — Taxobox name = Gribble image width = 250px image caption = Limnoria with eggs regnum = Animalia phylum = Arthropoda subphylum = Crustacea classis = Malacostraca ordo = Isopoda familia = Limnoriidae familia authority = White, 1850 subdivision… …   Wikipedia

  • Gribble — This most interesting surname has two possible origins. Firstly, it may be of early medieval English origin, from the Middle English gribbele , crabtree, blackthorn, and hence a topographical name for a dweller by a crabtree or blackthorn.… …   Surnames reference

  • gribble — noun Etymology: perhaps alteration of 2grub Date: 1838 either of two small wood boring marine isopods (Limnoria lignorum and L. tripunctata) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • gribble — n. (ARTHROPODA: Chelicerata) A small wood boring isopod of the Limnoriidae …   Dictionary of invertebrate zoology

  • gribble — noun Any of various wood boring marine crustaceans of the genus Limnoria, especially Limnoria lignorum, which cause damage to underwater wooden structures …   Wiktionary

  • gribble — grib·ble …   English syllables

  • gribble — grib•ble [[t]ˈgrɪb əl[/t]] n. ivt any small marine isopod crustacean of the genus Limnoria that destroys submerged timber by boring into it • Etymology: 1830–40 …   From formal English to slang

  • gribble — /ˈgrɪbəl/ (say gribuhl) noun a small marine isopod crustacean, Limnoria, which destroys submerged timber by boring into it. {? related to grub1} …  

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