polyp
Americannoun
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Zoology.
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a sedentary type of animal form characterized by a more or less fixed base, columnar body, and free end with mouth and tentacles, especially as applied to coelenterates.
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an individual zooid of a compound or colonial organism.
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Pathology. a projecting growth from a mucous surface, as of the nose, being either a tumor or a hypertrophy of the mucous membrane.
noun
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zoology one of the two forms of individual that occur in coelenterates. It usually has a hollow cylindrical body with a ring of tentacles around the mouth Compare medusa
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Also called: polypus. pathol a small vascularized growth arising from the surface of a mucous membrane, having a rounded base or a stalklike projection
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A cnidarian in its sedentary stage. Polyps have hollow, tube-shaped bodies with a central mouth on top surrounded by tentacles. Some cnidarians, such as corals and sea anemones, only exist as polyps after their larval stage, while others turn into medusas as adults or lack a polyp stage completely.
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Compare medusa
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An abnormal growth extending from a mucous membrane, as of the intestine.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of polyp
1350–1400; Middle English polip, short for polipus nasal tumor (later, also cephalopod, now obsolete) < Medieval Latin, Latin pōlypus < dialectal Greek poulýpous octopus, nasal tumor ( Attic polýpous, genitive polýpodos; see poly-, -pod)
Vocabulary lists containing polyp
Marine Biology - Middle School
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Marine Biology - High School
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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 study included 250 adults considered at higher risk for colorectal cancer, either due to known risk factors or because they had previously had a precancerous polyp removed.
From Science Daily • Dec. 30, 2025
One came when a polyp in an ocean, normally mouth-upward, developed a mutation that allowed it to topple onto its side and crawl across the seafloor.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025
The “Hannah Montana” star also opened up about a polyp on her vocal cords, which makes live performances feel like “running a marathon with the weights on,” and her sobriety journey.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2025
Other conditions noted in his medical history included a past Covid infection, rosacea, which is a skin condition often causing redness in the face, and a benign colon polyp.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2025
Slowly the waters sank among the rocks, revealing pink tables of granite, strange growths of coral, polyp, and weed.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
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.
