from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Bryozoa \Bry`o*zo"a\, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? moss + ? animal.]
(Zool.)
A class of Molluscoidea, including minute animals which by
budding form compound colonies; -- called also {Polyzoa}.
[1913 Webster]
Note: They are often coralike in form and appearance, each
small cell containing an individual zooid. Other
species grow in delicate, flexible, branched forms,
resembling moss, whence the name. Some are found in
fresh water, but most are marine. The three principal
divisions are {Ectoprocta}, {Entoprocta}, and
{Pterobranchia}. See {Cyclostoma}, {Chilostoma}, and
{Phylactolema}.
[1913 Webster]