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

For one tiny hydrozoan creature from the coast of Italy, avoiding death is something that just, well, happens—over and over and over again.

From Popular-Science