CORALS
Noun
corals
plural of coral
Anagrams
• Carlos, Claros, carols, claros
Source: Wiktionary
CORAL
Cor"al, n. Etym: [Of. coral, F, corail, L. corallum, coralium, fr.
Gr. kora`llion.]
1. (Zoƶl.)
Definition: The hard parts or skeleton of various Anthozoa, and of a few
Hydrozoa. Similar structures are also formed by some Bryozoa.
Note: The large stony corals forming coral reefs belong to various
genera of Madreporaria, and to the hydroid genus, Millepora. The red
coral, used in jewelry, is the stony axis of the stem of a gorgonian
(Corallium rubrum) found chiefly in the Mediterranean. The fan
corals, plume corals, and sea feathers are species of Gorgoniacea, in
which the axis is horny. Organ-pipe coral is formed by the genus
Tubipora, an Alcyonarian, and black coral is in part the axis of
species of the genus Antipathes. See Anthozoa, Madrepora.
2. The ovaries of a cooked lobster; -- so called from their color.
3. A piece of coral, usually fitted with small bells and other
appurtenances, used by children as a plaything. Brain coral, or Brain
stone coral. See under Brain.
– Chain coral. See under Chain.
– Coral animal (Zoƶl.), one of the polyps by which corals are
formed. They are often very erroneously called coral insects.
– Coral fish. See in the Vocabulary.
– Coral reefs (Phys. Geog.), reefs, often of great extent, made up
chiefly of fragments of corals, coral sands, and the solid limestone
resulting from their consolidation. They are classed as fringing
reefs, when they border the land; barrier reefs, when separated from
the shore by a broad belt of water; atolls, when they constitute
separate islands, usually inclosing a lagoon. See Atoll.
– Coral root (Bot.), a genus (Corallorhiza) of orchideous plants,
of a yellowish or brownish red color, parasitic on roots of other
plants, and having curious jointed or knotted roots not unlike some
kinds of coral. See Illust. under Coralloid.
– Coral snake. (Zo) (a) A small, venomous, Brazilian snake (Elaps
corallinus), coral-red, with black bands. (b) A small, harmless,
South American snake (Tortrix scytale).
– Coral tree (Bot.), a tropical, leguminous plant, of several
species, with showy, scarlet blossoms and coral-red seeds. The best
known is Erythrina Corallodendron.
– Coral wood, a hard, red cabinet wood. McElrath.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition