polypary

American  

[pol-uh-per-ee] / ˈpɒl əˌpɛr i /

noun

• polyparies
  plural

1. the common supporting structure of a colony of polyps, as corals.

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polypary British  

/ ˈpɒlɪpərɪ /

noun

1. the common base and connecting tissue of a colony of coelenterate polyps, esp coral

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• polyparian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• polyparies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of polypary

From the New Latin word polypārium, dating back to 1740–50. See polyp, -ary

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

polypary polyparies

The sponge is definitely not a plant, as some naturalists still believe, but an animal of the lowest order, a polypary inferior even to coral.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by F. P. Walter

Of the early development of the polypary in the Dendroidea little is known, but the more mature stages have been fully worked out.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3 "Gordon, Lord George" to "Grasses" by Various

A coral is a unit of tiny animals assembled over a polypary that's brittle and stony in nature.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by F. P. Walter

For some it's a polypary, and for others, such as Professor Milne–Edwards, it's a single, solitary individual.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by F. P. Walter

Amongst the Cœlenterates, the "Hydroid Zoophytes" are represented by a species of the encrusting genus Hydractinia, the horny polypary of which is so commonly found at the present day adhering to the exterior of shells.

From The Ancient Life History of the Earth A Comprehensive Outline of the Principles and Leading Facts of Palæontological Science by Henry Alleyne Nicholson

This valuable substance often merges with other polyparies, forming compact, hopelessly tangled units known as "macciota," and I noted some wonderful pink samples of this coral.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by F. P. Walter

Graptolite, grap′to-līt, n. one of a group of fossil hydrozoa, having simple or branched polyparies, usually strengthened by a horny-like rod—the 'solid axis.'

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various

These polyparies were sticking to rocks, shells of mollusks, and even the stalks of water plants.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by F. P. Walter

The Graptolite polyparies vary considerably in size: the majority range from 1 in. to about 6 in. in length; few examples have been met with having a length or more than 30 in.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 3 "Gordon, Lord George" to "Grasses" by Various