sea lily

American

noun

a stalked, sessile crinoid.

sea lily British

noun

any of various sessile echinoderms, esp of the genus Ptilocrinus, in which the body consists of a long stalk attached to a hard surface and bearing a central disc with delicate radiating arms: class Crinoidea (crinoids)

"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

Etymology

Origin of sea lily

First recorded in 1875–80

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.

When the ROV returns, there is an excited dash for the samples including seawater, sediment and a forearm-length sea lily coated with dripping orange goo.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

She pointed out the stem of a sea lily, which resembles a star.

From Washington Post • Mar. 18, 2022

Then he caught a glimpse of a sea lily fossil.

From New York Times • Jul. 24, 2021

"I remember Nev shouting from the garage, 'Sal, Sal! You've got to come and have a look at this!' It was this beautiful sea lily emerging, coming to life, from the slab."

From BBC • Jul. 21, 2021

Yet there is some plant-life, and I was pleased to see, emerging from the bleak sand-dunes, the tufts of the well-known and conspicuous sea lily in full flower.

From Old Calabria by Douglas, Norman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023