hydranth

noun

hy·​dranth ˈhī-ˌdran(t)th How to pronounce hydranth (audio)
: one of the feeding zooids of a hydroid colony

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Hydra hydra + Greek ánthos "flower" — more at antho-

Note: The word was probably introduced by the Irish-born biologist George James Allman (1812-98) in A Monograph of the Gymnoblastic or Tubularian Hydroids (London, 1871), p. xiv.

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hydranth was in 1874

Dictionary Entries Near hydranth

Cite this Entry

“Hydranth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydranth. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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