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shaped bivalve mollusk of Teredo and allied genera. The shipworms burrow in wood, and are destructive to wooden ships, piles of wharves, etc. See Teredo.

Fig.: Destruction; ruin; irretrievable loss. Holding faith and a good conscience, which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck. 1 Tim. 1. 19. It was upon an Indian bill that the late ministry had made shipwreck. J. Morley.

land near the coast of Italy, and to sing with such sweetness that they lured mariners to destruction. Next where the sirens dwell you plow the seas; Their song is death, and makes destruction please. Pope.

The extensive, violent, bloody, or wanton destruction of life; carnage. On war and mutual slaughter bent. Milton.

Destructive; murderous. Shak. M. Arnold. -- Slaugh"ter*ous*ly, adv.

A breaking or dashing to pieces; utter destruction; wreck.

To hurry to destruction; to put an end to; to ruin; to undo. "Sped with spavins." Shak. A dire dilemma! either way I 'm sped. If foes, they write, if friends, they read, me dead. Pope.

Tending to spoil; destructive; spoliative.

xcited, on feeling alarm; to start. Why shrinks the soul Back on herself, and startles at destruction Addison.

Some species reach a large size, and some, esp., on the American Pacific coast, are very destructive to oysters.

to study the welfare of others; to study variety in composition. For their heart studieth destruction. Prov. xxiv. 2.

tate of being overturned; entire overthrow; an overthrow from the foundation; utter ruin; destruction; as, the subversion of a government; the subversion of despotic power; the subversion of the constitution. The subversion [by a storm] of woods and timber . . . through my whole estate. Evelyn. Laws have been often abu…

Promoting destruction.

To come after; to be subsequent or consequent to; to follow; to pursue. Destructive effects . . . succeeded the curse. Sir T. Browne.

; specifically (Law), the felonious killing of one's self; the deliberate and intentional destruction of one's own life by a person of years of discretion and of sound mind.

ub (Zoöl.), the larva of the great yellow underwing moth (Triphoena pronuba). It is often destructive to the roots of grasses and other plants. -- Surface plate (Mach.), a plate having an accurately dressed flat surface, used as a standard of flatness by which to test other surfaces. -- Surface printing, printing fro…

loor, the street, or a chimney. Used also figuratively. I will sweep it with the besom of destruction. Isa. xiv. 23.

ames i. 19. Swift of dispatch and easy of access. Dryden. And bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 Pet. ii. 1.

Destruction by the sword, or in battle; war; dissension. I came not to send peace, but a sword. Matt. x. 34.

antagonistic, or antipathetic, symbiosis, in which the association is disadvantageous or destructive to one of the organisms, but ordinarily it is used of cases where the association is advantageous, or often necessary, to one or both, and not harmful to either. When there is bodily union (in extreme cases so close th…