cnidarian

American  

[nahy-dair-ee-uhn] / naɪˈdɛər i ən /

noun

1. any invertebrate animal, as a hydra, jellyfish, sea anemone, or coral, considered as belonging to the phylum Cnidaria, characterized by the specialized stinging structures in the tentacles surrounding the mouth; a coelenterate.

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adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the Cnidaria.

cnidarian British  

/ knaɪ-, naɪˈdɛərɪən /

noun

1. any invertebrate of the phylum Cnidaria , which comprises the coelenterates

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Cnidaria

cnidarian Scientific  

/ nī-dâr′ē-ən /

1. Any of various invertebrate animals of the phylum Cnidaria, having a body with radial symmetry and tentacles that bear microscopic stinging capsules called nematocysts. The tentacles surround a mouth that opens into a saclike internal cavity and that is used both for ingesting food and for eliminating wastes. Cnidarians evolved in the Precambrian Era, but it is not known from what type of organism. Cnidarians include the jellyfishes, hydras, sea anemones, and corals.

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Etymology

Origin of cnidarian

Cnidari(a) + -an

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cnidarian

After examining their form, habitat, and shell structure, the team concluded that Salterella and Volborthella most likely belonged to the cnidarian group -- relatives of modern corals, jellyfish, and sea anemones.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2025

Still, he wishes the authors had more closely compared the new fossil with groups like the coral-containing cnidarian subgroup anthozoans.

From Science Magazine ● Jul. 25, 2022

Some have suggested I is the embryo of a cnidarian, a group that includes coral and jellyfish.

From Scientific American ● May 26, 2019

Your typical cnidarian does not, after all, appear to have much in common with a human being.

From New York Times ● Nov. 28, 2012

Charniodiscus, a frond with a disklike base, he classifies as a colonial cnidarian, the phylum that includes jellyfish, sea anemones and sea pens.

From Time Magazine Archive