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

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Etymology

Origin of polypary

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

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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

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

Captain Nemo's treasures were enhanced by some valuable exhibits from the delphinula snail species, to which I joined some pointed star coral, a sort of parasitic polypary that often attaches itself to seashells.

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

Finally, in the latest family, the Monograptidae, the branches are theoretically reduced to one, the polypary is uniserial throughout, and all the thecae are directed outwards and upwards.

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

The tiny microscopic animals that secrete this polypary live by the billions in the depths of their cells.

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

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

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