# coral

Pronunciation: say "KOR-uhl" US /ˈkɔɚɹəl/, AUS /ˈkɔɹəl/; UK say "KO-ruhl" /ˈkɒɹəl/

## Noun

1. A marine invertebrate of the class Anthozoa, typically living in colonies and building a hard calcium carbonate skeleton, or a colony of such animals.
   - Simple: A small sea animal that lives in large groups and builds a hard, stony skeleton.
   - _Each coral extends thousands of tiny polyps to capture food from the water._
   - _Warming seas have bleached the corals across much of the reef._
2. A hard substance formed from the accumulated calcium carbonate skeletons of marine anthozoans.
   - Simple: The hard, stony material made from the skeletons of tiny sea animals.
   - _Mediterranean coral has been carved into ornaments for thousands of years._
   - _The pendant's deep red coral had been polished to a soft glow._
3. A somewhat yellowish orange-pink color, like that of the red coral of the Mediterranean Sea, often used as a gem.
   - Simple: A pinkish-orange color, like that of the red coral used in jewelry.
   - _The designer chose coral for the spring collection._
   - _At dusk the sky shifted through pinks and corals._
6. The ovaries of a cooked lobster, named for their coral-like color.
   - Simple: The pink egg part found inside a cooked female lobster.
   - _She stirred the lobster's coral into the simmering bisque._
   - _A good cook saves the coral from each lobster to thicken the sauce._
7. A children's plaything made from a piece of coral, usually with small bells and other fittings attached.
   - Simple: A baby's toy made from a piece of coral, often with small bells attached.
   - _The infant gripped a silver-handled coral, gnawing at the smooth red tip._
   - _Among the heirlooms was a coral once shaken by three generations of babies._

## Adjective

4. Of an orange-pink color resembling that of coral.
   - Simple: Having a pinkish-orange color, like coral.
   - _He picked a coral tie to match her gown._
   - _The bedroom's coral walls glowed in the evening light._
5. Made from coral, the hard skeletal substance.
   - Simple: Made out of the hard material called coral.
   - _The museum displayed a coral pendant taken from a Mediterranean reef._
   - _Sailors once traded coral charms believed to ward off illness._

## Origin

English took this from Old French coral (Modern French corail), which came from Latin corallium and ultimately Ancient Greek κοράλλιον (korállion, 'coral'). It is probably of Semitic origin, compare Hebrew גּוֹרָל (goral, 'small pebble') and Arabic جَرَل (jaral, 'small stone'), originally referring to the red variety found in the Mediterranean; an old folk etymology instead linked it to Greek κόρη (kórē, referring to Medusa).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/coral (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).