hydrozoan

[ hahy-druh-zoh-uhn ]

noun

1. any freshwater or marine coelenterate of the class Hydrozoa, including free-swimming or attached types, as the hydra, in which one developmental stage, either the polyp or medusa, is absent, and colonial types, as the Portuguese man-of-war, in which both medusa and polyp stages are present in a single colony.

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the Hydrozoa.

hydrozoan

/ ˌhaɪdrəʊˈzəʊən /

noun

1. any colonial or solitary coelenterate of the class Hydrozoa, which includes the hydra, Portuguese man-of-war, and the sertularians

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Hydrozoa

Word History and Origins

Origin of hydrozoan¹

1875–80; < New Latin Hydrozo ( a ) ( hydro- ¹, -zoa ) + -an

Example Sentences

Unlike their fellow hydrozoa, the Portuguese man o’ war, the toxin in their tentacles isn’t strong enough to injure humans.

From Los Angeles Times

"We found a large number of jellyfish in the stomachs of the amphipods, from the largest jellyfish in the fjord to tiny hydrozoans," explains Charlotte Havermans.

From Science Daily

Such hydrozoans form a subgroup of Cnidaria, a phylum whose members also include jellyfish and coral.

From Scientific American

There was a metre-tall hydrozoan, related to jellyfish, that stood like a giant flower above the ocean floor.

From Nature

Many living things, including strawberries, orchids and some jellyfish cousins called hydrozoans, propagate this way today.

From New York Times