alcyonarian

American  

[al-see-uh-nair-ee-uhn] / ˌæl si əˈnɛər i ən /

noun

1. any anthozoan coelenterate of the subclass Alcyonaria, as corals and sea anemones, having the tentacles and other body parts in branches or segments of eight.

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adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the Alcyonaria.

Etymology

Origin of alcyonarian

1875–80; < New Latin Alcyonari ( a ) (< Greek alkyón ( ion ) a type of coral named from its resemblance to the nest of the kingfisher ( alkyṓn ) + Latin -āria -ary ) + -an

Example Sentences

Among mollusks and zoophytes, I found in our trawl's meshes various species of alcyonarian coral, sea urchins, hammer shells, spurred–star shells, wentletrap snails, horn shells, glass snails.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Walter, F. P.

Rhipidogorgia, rip-i-dō-gor′ji-a, n. a genus of alcyonarian polyps of fan-like shape.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various