noun
- Small marine crustaceans that bore into and damage wooden structures, especially ship hulls and pilings.
Usage: plural form; also called wood lice or sea lice; technical/nautical
Examples
- The old wooden dock was infested with gribbles that had tunneled through the support beams.
- Gribbles can cause significant damage to maritime structures if left unchecked.
- The ship's hull was inspected for gribbles and other wood-boring organisms.
- Wooden pilings in saltwater are particularly vulnerable to gribbles.
- Marine biologists study gribbles to understand how they break down cellulose.