hydrozoan
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˌhaɪdrəˈzoʊən/
- Specialized
- The researcher studied the fascinating life cycle of the hydrozoan, noting its unique polyp stage.
Examples
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For example, a recent workshop of hydrozoan specialists emphasized the problem of duplication of species descriptions by those focusing on benthic versus pelagic stages of a given species (Boero and Mills 1999).
Academic text (2000) -
Sommer was conducting research on hydrozoans, small invertebrates that, depending on their stage in the life cycle, resemble either a jellyfish or a soft coral.
Blog text (14) -
Sommer kept his hydrozoans in petri dishes and observed their reproduction habits.
Blog text (14) -
He scanned the ocean floor for hydrozoans, gathering them with plankton nets.
Blog text (14) -
In the clear waters of the reef, small hydrozoans thrived, forming colorful colonies.
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On his diving expedition, he discovered various species of hydrozoans attached to the rocks.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A small sea animal made of many tiny tube-shaped animals living together
Surface Forms
Morphology
hydrozoan = hydro + zo + an
The word is classically built from the water-related combining form 'hydro-' and the animal-related combining form 'zo-', plus '-an', but it is a specialized zoological term rather than an everyday transparent formation.
Etymology
Hydrozoan comes from the parts hydro- 'water' and -zoan 'animal', and you can think of zoo for 'animal'. So it literally means 'water animal', which explains why hydrozoans are small creatures that live in water, often in colonies.