from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Coral \Cor"al\, n. [Of. coral, F, corail, L. corallum, coralium,
fr. Gr. kora`llion.]
1. (Zool.) The hard parts or skeleton of various Anthozoa,
and of a few Hydrozoa. Similar structures are also formed
by some Bryozoa.
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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}.
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2. The ovaries of a cooked lobster; -- so called from their
color.
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3. A piece of coral, usually fitted with small bells and
other appurtenances, used by children as a plaything.
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{Brain coral}, or {Brain stone coral}. See under {Brain}.
{Chain coral}. See under {Chain}.
{Coral animal} (Zool.), 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.
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