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poriferan

[paw-rif-er-uh n, poh-, puh-]
noun
  1. any animal of the phylum Porifera, comprising the sponges.
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adjective
  1. belonging or pertaining to the Porifera.
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Origin of poriferan

First recorded in 1860–65; Porifer(a) + -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for poriferan

poriferan

noun
  1. any invertebrate of the phylum Porifera, which comprises the sponges
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adjective Also: poriferous
  1. of, relating to, or belonging to the phylum Porifera
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Word Origin

C19: from New Latin porifer bearing pores
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
poriferan in Science

poriferan

[pə-rĭf′ər-ən]
  1. See sponge.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.