velella
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of velella
1825–35; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin vēl ( um ) sail + -ella -ella
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.
Velella velella, commonly known as by-the-wind sailors and closely related to the Portuguese man o' war, have been spotted on beaches across Anglesey, Gwynedd and Tenby.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
Previous research has found that gelatinous zooplankton like velella and their fellow jellyfish thrive in warmer waters, portending an era some scientists have referred to as the “rise of slime.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2024
Springtime velella sightings documented on community science platforms like iNaturalist spiked both this year and last, though scientists say it’s too early to know if this indicates a rise in the animal’s actual numbers.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2024
It relies on local residents visiting their neighborhood beaches on a regular basis, and although the project focuses on seabirds, enough participants reported velella washups to facilitate the analysis.
From Scientific American ● May 3, 2023
As the barnacles grew larger, the remains of the velella changed into large excrescences, half the size of a walnut.
From Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, Volume 2 by Grey, George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
