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crinoid

American

[krahy-noid, krin-oid] / ˈkraɪ nɔɪd, ˈkrɪn ɔɪd /

noun

any echinoderm of the class Crinoidea, having a cup-shaped body to which are attached branched, radiating arms, comprising the sea lilies, feather stars, and various fossil forms.

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the Crinoidea.
lilylike.

crinoid British

/ ˈkraɪnɔɪd, ˈkrɪn- /

noun

any primitive echinoderm of the class Crinoidea, having delicate feathery arms radiating from a central disc. The group includes the free-swimming feather stars, the sessile sea lilies, and many stemmed fossil forms

"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

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the Crinoidea
shaped like a lily

"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

crinoid Scientific

/ krī′noid′ /

Any of various marine echinoderms of the class Crinoidea. Crinoids have a cup-shaped body with five or more feathery arms and sometimes a stalk for attachment to a surface. The arms contain reproductive organs and sensory tube feet. Crinoids were common during the Paleozoic Era and are important index fossils. Sea lilies and feather stars are types of crinoids.

Other Word Forms

crinoidal adjective
noncrinoid adjective

Etymology

Origin of crinoid

1825–35; < Greek krinoeidḗs, equivalent to krín ( on ) lily + -oeidēs -oid

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The "beads" are fossilised parts of the stem of a marine animal called a crinoid, but they earnt their nickname from St Cuthbert, considered the patron saint of the North of England.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

It is very rare to find a complete crinoid, but rather the individual discs that make up the stem - these are the St Cuthbert's beads - and often resemble polo mints.

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

A necklace made from a crinoid fossil stem.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2025

The new species of Oxycomanthus crinoid, or feather star.

From Scientific American • Mar. 14, 2013

The cystoid reaches its climax, but there appear now two higher types of echinoderms,—the crinoid and the starfish.

From The Elements of Geology by Norton, William Harmon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023