hydrozoan

noun

hy·​dro·​zo·​an ˌhī-drə-ˈzō-ən How to pronounce hydrozoan (audio)
: any of a class (Hydrozoa) of cnidarians (such as the hydra, fire coral, and Portuguese man-of-war) that includes solitary and colonial polyps and medusae but often having the medusa stage reduced or absent and lacking nematocysts in the digestive cavity see siphonophore
hydrozoan adjective

Examples of hydrozoan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web From salamanders to starfish to the actual hydra (a tiny hydrozoan named for the fearsome beast of legend), animals that are capable of regeneration all start the repair process by forming a blastema. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 3 Jan. 2024 Such hydrozoans form a subgroup of Cnidaria, a phylum whose members also include jellyfish and coral. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 3 May 2023 How exactly would the cage keep out a fish that's less than a foot long?), the two spotted their first animal—a hydrozoan. Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 16 Aug. 2014 The Portuguese man o’ war, or Physalia physalis, is a hydrozoan animal named for its likeness to the Portuguese man of war ships. Anjali Huynh, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2022 Many living things, including strawberries, orchids and some jellyfish cousins called hydrozoans, propagate this way today. Cara Giaimo, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2020 The creatures, which are marine hydrozoans and relatives of jellyfish, have recently been spotted on Sullivan’s Island and in Hilton Head. USA TODAY, 10 June 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hydrozoan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Greek hydr- + zōion animal — more at zoo-

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hydrozoan was in 1877

Dictionary Entries Near hydrozoan

Cite this Entry

“Hydrozoan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydrozoan. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hydrozoan

noun
hy·​dro·​zo·​an ˌhī-drə-ˈzō-ən How to pronounce hydrozoan (audio)
: any of a class of coelenterates including the jellyfishes and single or colonial polyps (as hydras or corals)
hydrozoan adjective

Medical Definition

hydrozoan

noun
hy·​dro·​zo·​an -ˈzō-ən How to pronounce hydrozoan (audio)
: any of the class Hydrozoa of coelenterates
hydrozoan adjective
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!