velella

[ vuh-lel-uh ]

noun

1. a floating colony of hydrozoans of the genus Velella, having a vertical crest that is used as a sail.

Other Words From

• ve·lelli·dous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of velella¹

1825–35; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin vēl ( um ) sail + -ella -ella

Example Sentences

These intriguing creatures are Velella velella, known also as by-the-wind sailors or, in marine biology circles, “the zooplankton so nice they named it twice,” said Anya Stajner, a biological oceanography PhD student at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

From Los Angeles Times

A jellyfish relative that spends the vast majority of its life on the surface of the open sea, velella move at the mercy of the wind, drifting over the ocean with no means of locomotion other than the sails atop their bodies.

From Los Angeles Times

Springtime velella sightings documented on community science platforms like iNaturalist spiked both this year and last, though scientists say it’s too early to know if this indicates a rise in the animal’s actual numbers.

From Los Angeles Times

Velella are an elusive species whose vast habitat and unusual life cycle make them difficult to study.

From Los Angeles Times

“Nobody really knows anything about them. No one really cares about them. But then during these mass Velella velella strandings, all of a sudden there’s this link to this hidden part of the ocean that most of us don’t get to experience.”

From Los Angeles Times