parazoan

American

[par-uh-zoh-uhn] / ˌpær əˈzoʊ ən /

noun

any member of a group of invertebrates comprising the phylum Porifera, the sponges.

adjective

of or relating to a parazoan organism.

parazoan British

/ ˌpærəˈzəʊən /

noun

any multicellular invertebrate of the group Parazoa, which consists of the sponges (phylum Porifera ) Compare metazoan

"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

Etymology

Origin of parazoan

< New Latin parazo ( a ) ( see para- ¹, -zoa) + -an

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