red coral

American  

noun

1. any of several alcyonarian corals of the genus Corallium, as C. nobile, of the Mediterranean Sea, having a red or pink skeleton, used for jewelry.

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red coral British  

noun

1. Also called: precious coral.  any of several corals of the genus Corallium , the skeletons of which are pinkish red in colour and used to make ornaments, etc

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Etymology

Origin of red coral

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325

Example Sentences

Peering through a collection of vibrant purple pompoms, a bright red coral sits atop blooming underwater vegetation.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2023

Or how about a bloom of endangered red coral for a little less cash?

From Time • Jun. 1, 2016

I walked the red carpet in the lobby and stepped behind the gold-leafed columns to admire the murals, where lions sit next to flamingos and white winged horses fly over red coral beds.

From Washington Post • Apr. 18, 2016

In another, granular soil the color of baked salt was embedded with red coral; a planet hung in the sky, and a hovering robot traversed the horizon.

From The New Yorker • May 11, 2015

She had on her deep red coral multistrand necklace and matching earrings that she wore to his fifth-grade graduation ceremony.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young