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• coral
  coral

  noun

  the hard, variously colored, calcareous skeleton secreted by certain marine polyps.
• Coral
  Coral

  noun

  a female given name.

coral

¹ American  

[kawr-uhl, kor-] / ˈkɔr əl, ˈkɒr- /

noun

• corals
  plural

1. the hard, variously colored, calcareous skeleton secreted by certain marine polyps.

2. such skeletons collectively, forming reefs, islands, etc.

3. the solitary or colonial polyp that secretes this calcareous skeleton.

4. a reddish yellow; light yellowish red; pinkish yellow.

5. the unimpregnated roe or eggs of the lobster that when boiled take on the color of red coral.

6. something made of coral, as an ornament, piece of jewelry, or a child's toy.

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adjective

1. made of coral.

   a coral reef; coral ornamentation.

2. making coral.

   a coral polyp.

3. resembling coral, especially in color; yellowish-red.

Coral ² American  

[kawr-uhl, kor-] / ˈkɔr əl, ˈkɒr- /

noun

1. a female given name.

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coral British  

/ ˈkɒrəl /

noun

1. any marine mostly colonial coelenterate of the class Anthozoa having a calcareous, horny, or soft skeleton See also stony coral sea fan

2. 1. the calcareous or horny material forming the skeleton of certain of these animals

   2. ( as modifier ) See also red coral

      a coral reef

3. 1. a rocklike aggregation of certain of these animals or their skeletons, forming an island or reef

   2. ( as modifier )

      a coral island

4. 1. an object made of coral, esp a piece of jewellery

   2. ( as modifier )

      a coral necklace

5. 1. a deep-pink to yellowish-pink colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      coral lipstick

6. the roe of a lobster or crab, which becomes pink when cooked

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coral Scientific  

/ kôr′əl /

1. Any of numerous small, sedentary cnidarians (coelenterates) of the class Anthozoa. Corals often form massive colonies in shallow sea water and secrete a cup-shaped skeleton of calcium carbonate, which they can retreat into when in danger. Corals are related to the sea anemones and have stinging tentacles around the mouth opening that are used to catch prey.

2. A hard, stony substance consisting of the skeletons of these animals. It is typically white, pink, or reddish and can form large reefs that support an abundance of ocean fish.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• corallike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• corals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of coral

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English coral(l), from Latin corāll(i)um, from Greek korā́llion “red coral,” equivalent to korall- (from Semitic; compare Hebrew gōrāl “pebble”) + -ion diminutive suffix

Explanation

Coral is a marine polyp with a calcareous skeleton that lives in colonies. You probably last saw coral while scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef. That or while looking at the coral necklaces in the beach shop. Though coral looks like stone with little holes, it is actually a kind of sea polyp with a stony, hole filled skeleton. Sometimes the word coral refers to the skeleton itself. Because of the red color of Mediterranean coral, coral is also an adjective meaning pink-red. Shakespeare wrote: “My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more “red than her lips' red.” Coral can also be a noun for unfertilized lobster eggs that turn red when cooking.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coral Coral corals

For his part, Hausfather cautioned that there are “pretty big uncertainties when you are working with indirect measurements like coral proxy records,” so comparing historic El Niños to modern ones is inherently hard to do.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

These days, hikers flock to the island’s mangrove forests and divers to its coral reefs, teeming with turtles and pufferfish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

The actor reportedly paid $1.75 million for the property after being inspired by a scuba-diving trip to Belize’s coral reefs.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

This is because the chemical makeup of the coral skeleton -- the ratio of strontium-to-calcium and the different forms of oxygen inside it -- reflects the conditions under which it grew.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

I said, “A piece of red coral is made of gorgon’s blood. And gorgons are horrible snake monsters who live on islands.”

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

It will be displayed at the Coral Gables Museum in Florida until Saturday as well as being shown at the Scotland match on Wednesday.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

Notre Dame is expected to face Norco’s top one-two pitching duo of Coral Williams and Peyton May.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

The company will maintain regional offices in New York, Toronto and Coral Gables, Fla., along with its Seattle headquarters and a new Nashville, Tenn., corporate hub.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Looking ahead, Dr. Reddy and Professor Thomas will take part in the upcoming Tara Coral expedition in Papua New Guinea this June.

From Science Daily ● May 8, 2026

Blanquito’s parents have one of these ranch-style jobs in Coral Gables with a pool in the back.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

The geographic features are hot spots of biodiversity, with corals, sponges and even an octopus garden, just like in the Beatles song.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

The aquarium has helped more than 3,300 trafficked animals, including corals, reptiles, fish and axolotls.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Like modern corals, it may have reproduced through a coordinated release of sperm and eggs into the surrounding water.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026

Maerl beds may closely resemble corals but they are in fact thousands of pieces of free-living calcified seaweed that can interlock to create a carpet brimming with life.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Gardens of corals and sponges and flowery sea anemones clung to the rocks and danced in the whirling currents.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

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