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Glite Dictionary
brain coral

brain coral

6.1
A large hard sea animal with a wrinkled surface that looks like a brain
  • noun
  • /breɪn ˈkɔrəl/
translation icon : coral cerebro
  • While snorkeling, we saw a large colony of brain coral that looked just like a human brain.

Examples

  • Its velvety, oversized flowers are crinkled, suggesting the wavy surface of brain coral.

    Academic text (2004)

  • As soon as the wave passed, he plunged his arms back into the sand, his fingers probing an alcove between anemones, pausing to identify a clump of brain coral, running after a snail as it burrowed away.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The marine biologist studied the impact of climate change on the vibrant brain coral populations in the Great Barrier Reef.

  • I was amazed to find a massive brain coral structure thriving in the warm, shallow waters near the coast.

How Hard

stony coral
  • Specialized
1 6.0
brain coral
6.1

Surface Forms

brain coral singular
brain corals plural

Morphology

brain + coral

The meaning 'a coral that resembles a human brain' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'brain' (the organ) with 'coral' (the marine animal); the compound names a coral with a brain-like surface. This noun–noun descriptive pattern is common and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Brain coral gets its name because the coral's round surface has many wavy grooves that look like a human brain. So the name means 'a coral with a brain-like surface' and helps you picture this type of coral.