bryozoan

[ brahy-uh-zoh-uhn ]

/ ˌbraɪ əˈzoʊ ən /

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adjective

belonging or pertaining to the Bryozoa.

noun

Also called moss animal. any sessile marine or freshwater animal of the phylum Bryozoa, forming branching, encrusting, or gelatinous mosslike colonies of many small polyps, each having a circular or horseshoe-shaped ridge bearing ciliated tentacles, occurring on algae or on shaded objects.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

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Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Compare ectoproct, entoproct.

Origin of bryozoan

First recorded in 1870–75; Bryozo(a) + -an

Words nearby bryozoan

bryology, bryony, bryophyllum, bryophyte, Bryozoa, bryozoan, Brython, Brythonic, Brześć nad Bugiem, BS, B.S.A.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bryozoan in a sentence

During his career he has identified 25 new bryozoan species.
Giant squid that washed ashore in South Africa is a rare glimpse of the deep-sea creature|Heather Djunga|November 10, 2020|Washington Post

British Dictionary definitions for bryozoan

bryozoan

/ (ˌbraɪəˈzəʊən) /

noun

any aquatic invertebrate animal of the phylum Bryozoa, forming colonies of polyps each having a ciliated feeding organ (lophophore)Popular name: sea mat

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Bryozoa

Popular name: polyzoan, ectoproct

Word Origin for bryozoan

C19: from Greek bruon moss + zōion animal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for bryozoan

bryozoan

[ brī′ə-zō′ən ]

Any of various small aquatic invertebrate animals of the phylum Bryozoa that are capable of forming vast mosslike or branching colonies attached to seaweed or hard surfaces. Bryozoans reproduce by budding and feed on minute particles of plankton that they capture with tentacles. They are probably related to the phoronids and are the only animal phylum that does not appear in the fossil record until the early Ordovician Period.